Mulholland: new beer orders needed
Vociferous Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland has called for a fresh set of beer orders in the wake of the damning Business and Enterprise Committee (BEC) report into pubco power.
The chair of the All Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group said "the cat was now well and truly out the bag" on the relationship between pubcos and tenants.
"The way the big companies are operating the tie is bad for tenants, bad for customers and a threat to the future of the British pub," he said.
"It is time we had 'Pub Orders' to rectify this, to put more pubs back in the hands of people who care about them and the communities they serve and to stop the abuse of tenants through a totally one sided business relationship."
He added: "The era of greedy non brewing property companies dictating the future our local pubs must now be brought to an end.
"It is time to put the British pub into the hands of people who care including the many landlords who work so hard to keep pubs going, excellent small breweries who want to sell their beer and of course local communities who morally own their locals. It is time for real change to save the British pub."
Mulholland also congratulated the BEC for not believing a word of "spin".
Vice chair of the group Brian Binley, who sat on the BEC, said: "When the tie was operated by the big brewers before the Beer Orders, if not ideal, it was largely paternalistic and the brewers did care about selling their beer in their pubs.
"Sadly all too often what we have now is a relationship that does not work for tenants or pub customers and reform is needed and soon."
Labour's Eric Illsley added: "All the Save the Pub Group members have heard the same story from their local licensees, that the pub owning companies acting in their own interest and not in the interest of the tenants or local communities.
"It is time that changed and the group will be calling on the Government to take note and take action."
