Statutory code: Fair pint founder Steve Corbett writes to Chancellor George Osborne

He was responding after news broke that the consultation over the introduction of a statutory code and adjudicator had been delayed as the Chancellor is concerned about the red tape impact it would have on the sector.

A consultation document on the plans was expected to be published by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) last Friday (April 5). However BIS has confirmed that this has been put back by a couple of weeks as it is still working on the final draft.

In the letter Corbett said: “The statutory code was set to level the playing field between tied and non-tied tenants and breathe life back into a sector that has been virtually destroyed by the greed of a few. Vince Cable’s much needed solution, originally put forward by Peter Luff, was all about preserving jobs, livelihoods and community assets. It was about looking for a fair deal for small businesses in a sector that has become dominated by a small number of property companies and large regional brewers. “

He claimed the industry is at a “crossroads” and claimed that a statutory code with the correct content “will put the sector back on the road to recovery”.

He added: “We have had four select committee inquiries all screaming for change yet the abuse levelled at tied publicans still goes on today. It seems that Vince Cable, Jo Swinson and other like minded MP’s who care about pubs and publicans are keen to see change that will loosen the grip of the property companies that care very little indeed about the future of the cultural icon that is the Great British Pub.”