Anti beer-tie pressure group steps up campaign

Related tags Pub company tenants Critical thinking

Fledgling pressure group the Freedom For Pubs Association (FFPA) is stepping up its campaign to end the beer tie. Close to 200 pub company tenants...

Fledgling pressure group the Freedom For Pubs Association (FFPA) is stepping up its campaign to end the beer tie. Close to 200 pub company tenants and lessees have now contributed to an online survey via www.freedomforpubs.com.

Key facts to have emerged include:

Lessees work an average of 150 hours per week per couple
Couples spend an average 12 years in the industry.

Another online survey has been set up and an advertisement is due to be placed in a national daily newspaper to canvas the views of former pubco lessees.

FFPA founder and West London licensee Mike Bell (pictured), who runs the Portobello Gold, said his survey had disproved suggestions made at the current Trade & Industry committee inquiry into the pubcos that licensees were running into trouble because they were inexperienced.

"The argument that all complaints come from new licensees is a complete fallacy," said Mr Bell. "One couple told us one of them had been working in the trade for 25 years and the other for 45 years. Good licensees from good pubs are coming forward."

Licensees are being asked for a £40 contribution to a fighting fund backing the campaign. Mr Bell said this was now "well into four figures".

Bristol accountant Brian Jacobs, a licensing specialist who gave evidence to the committee and is a key member of FFPA, believes the inquiry could still result in a positive outcome for licensees.

"When the inquiry started I would have said there was little more than a 60:40 chance against any serious action being recommended in favour of the tenants," he said. "After the evidence was presented, I would say it is more like 40:60 now."

Desmond King, multiple tenant with Punch and Enterprise, believes support of the FFPA is crucial. "We need to combine because we have a lot of individual voices in a sea of people at the moment," he said.

"There is no other organisation to support our views and even if we have 1,000 members we could go to the pubcos and make more of a noise about the beer tie. I do not want a war, I simply desire to see fair play."

The campaigners are still hopeful that they can influence the outcome of the Trade & Industry inquiry. This is despite the fact that the report is now being compiled following the deadline of the final evidence session held earlier this month. MPs are expected to consider the report in October, before delivering it to the government in November.