Fair Pint: 'Enterprise chief is wrong'

Campaigners have hit back at claims made by a pubco chief that the beer tie has nothing to do with the problems faced by pubs.

Speaking at the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group's inquiry into the future of community pubs last week, Enterprise Inns' operating office Simon Townsend said: "I don't believe the tie has anything to do with the difficulties faced by some pubs because its key factor is that it should be able to respond to economically challenging changes."

But Mike Bell, Enterprise licensee and the Fair Pint group member, said the tie was only benefiting pubcos.

He said: "Everybody, including the pubcos, recognise that the market is currently struggling.

"If the tied model is a viable model, able to respond to economic challenges, then surely my rent should be going down?"

The licensee of Portobello Gold in West London, added: "Mr Townsend claims that the worst thing for his business is a closed pub.

"The answer is quite simple then - reduce rents to reflect the downturn in pub trade and stop making us pay twice as much for beer as it would cost if we could go directly to the brewery.

"Mr Townsend is calling on the government to offer rate relief to pubs who provide facilities for the community.

"I would welcome any form of relief, but what he is really asking is for the taxpayer to bail out the licensee so the pubco can keep rents unrealistically high."

The Fair Pint group wants to see an end to the beer tie except for those tied to brewers with up to 500 pubs.