Fair Pint challenges MPs' community pub demands

Anti-pubco campaign group Fair Pint has challenged the recommendations of the MP-led Community Pub Inquiry, claiming they would benefit pubcos, not licensees.

The All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group report, released yesterday, makes a series of proposals including a review of the alcohol duty escalator, minimum pricing in the "longer term", a reduction in red tape and better-targeted rate relief.

But Fair Pint has argued the report "lays the blame at the wrong door".

It claims the reason for the rising price differential between the on-trade and off-trade is because pubcos are increasing the price they charge tenants, while demanding higher discounts from brewers.

And it claims abolishing machine game duty for the first AWP machine in each pub would only benefit pubcos.

Brian Jacobs, of Fair Pint's steering group, said: "There is a certain irony in a group that is funded by the pubcos claiming that it is promoting a positive future for pubs.

"As many pubco tenants and our supporters will confirm, pubcos are the single biggest factor in the decline of the pub industry."

The group also claimed it is in the process of setting up its own All-Party Parliamentary group.

Jacobs added: "This report does not represent the views of those people that run the vast majority of the pubs in this country.

"Make no mistake, these measures would do nothing to help the individual pub tenant, but simply prop up a business model which has abused its position and become even more unviable."