Council calls for duty freeze and minimum price
A council is urging MPs to press the government to cut beer duty and introduce a minimum price to help struggling licensees.
South Norfolk District Council has sent a letter including a six point plan to save rural pubs to John Grogan MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group.
The plan was made after councillors held crisis meetings with local publicans following a spate of pub closures in the area including the iconic 500 year old Wymondham Cross Keys.
The plan includes calls for pubcos and breweries to be forced to loosen beer-ties and permission for councils to decide which pubs get rate relief.
It also demands a minimum price for per unit of alcohol to stop supermarket loss-leader promotions on drink and for pubs to be allowed to recycle glass at bottle banks.
South Norfolk Task Group chairman, Cllr Keith Weeks said: "Visit almost any country and major foreign city and the chances are you will find a "British Pub", and the sad truth is that at the current rate of closures we could have more "British Pubs" abroad than in Britain."
John Turner, former licensee of the Wymondham Cross Keys said: "Seeing the industry being decimated like this is very sad. What is ridiculous is that despite all the problems we face beer costs are still going up and those will feed into higher prices in the bar. I expect another 20p on a pint in February. This and all the other overheads publicans face is yet another nail in the coffin for pubs."
The Publican is also campaigning for a minimum price for more information or to sign our online petition follow the links.
