High profile campaigner declared bankrupt
High profile tenant rights campaigner Inez Ward has been made bankrupt this morning.
Ward, lessee at Mavericks in Newquay, Cornwall owed Enterprise almost £11,000 in costs after a failed bid to take out an interim injunction against the pubco in May last year (Enterprise host fails in injunction bid) and at least £6,000 in back rent.
Ward closed her pub in April after her electricity was cut off over an unpaid £11,500 bill.
She will now face a forfeiture hearing on 22 May. She has twice previously won forfeiture hearings against the pubco in her seven-year spell but a repeat victory now appears to be extremely unlikely.
"It has not been easy living for seven weeks without electricity," said Ward, who runs the Justice for Licensees campaign and was the brains behind the Pubco Protest march in January.
"It has been very stressful. I accepted this outcome a while ago but you always hope and pray something will change.
"I am really annoyed at the timing of it all as we are expecting a great season in Newquay and I could have paid the money back."
Ward recently secured the backing of trade union Unite for a march on Parliament in June. "I may be bankrupt but I am not going anywhere. I will continue fighting for the trade.
"I have a few job offers in the pipeline. I am not ashamed by this. I held on longer than others would have and I am proud of the work I have done in campaigning for tenants."
