MP urges ministers to help booze ban pub
Support is growing for a grieving family banned from selling alcohol for failing to change licence details within a week of their father's death.
Local MP Peter Hain has raised the Hyland family's case with two cabinet ministers - Culture Secretary Andy Burnham and Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell.
The family's livelihood is under threat because they missed a seven-day deadline to transfer the licence at the Dyffryn Arms in Neath, South Wales, into mother Sonia's name. It follows the death of her licensee husband John last month.
Neath and Port Talbot Council banned the pub from selling alcohol, insisting a brand new premises licence was required.
Hain, Labour MP for Neath, said: "It is unacceptable that the family has suffered this bureaucratic nightmare. I have spoken to Andy Burnham and the council to ask that commonsense prevails.
"We must have some flexibility and commonsense and I am pressing hard for this".
Sympathetic locals are also determined to help the pub.
Julian, the son of Sonia and John, said: "A lot of people are turning up and buying a couple of soft drinks. Even other licensees have offered to help. It's heartening to see what a popular man my dad was.
"But our trade has still been affected because plenty of non locals are walking out when they realise they can't buy a proper drink."
The pub is now relying on temporary event notices to tide them over until they are granted a new licence.
This will be on May 1, assuming there are no objections.
Neath and Port Talbot Council previously said there was "no discretion available" on the issue. BBPA slams law
The British Beer & Pub Association has hit out at the government over the seven-day law.
Communications director Mark Hastings said: "We told them quite clearly that the timeline of seven days was not only unrealistic, but unsympathetic as it failed to recognise the shock and grief family members would be suffering in these circumstances," he said.
"At the same time this local authority should be ashamed for displaying such an over-zealous, petty bureaucratic and totally heartless application of the law."
