Fife pub targets supermarket licences

A licensee who applied to have the alcohol licence of three supermarkets revoked on the grounds of public health has had his case rejected by Fife Council.

Jeff Ellis, who owns the Bear Inn in Newburgh, submitted the application on 8 December on the grounds that the price of alcohol at Tesco, Co-op and Morrisons in the area was so low, it was damaging public health.

Scottish licensing law includes a public health objective unlike in England and Wales. However, the Health Select Committee report last week pushed for the same objective to be introduced south of the border.

Ellis was prompted to instigate action when Morrisons ran a deal for four x 275ml bottles of Carlsberg for £1 over Christmas. He said, the cheapest he could buy draught Carlsberg for was £1.50 a pint.

He claimed that supermarket promotions have been to the detriment of his pub. Since buying the pub in 2006, he estimates that his annual turnover has been depleted by 60%, mainly as a result of supermarket deals.

"My application has been successful in the sense that it has highlighted supermarket pricing and its effect on pubs as a key issue," said Ellis.

"There used to be seven pubs in my area, now there are only four. Although the smoking ban has been a secondary factor, the overriding cause is supermarket pricing, which has been going on for four or five years.

"I know people are still drinking, but not in my pub or in the others around here."

Ellis' campaign generated a great deal of interest amongst groups such as Alcohol Focus Scotland and the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, which sent all its members a copy of the application.

Ellis also had the backing of other licensees in Newburgh. He is considering submitting a revised application for revocation.