£3.62m fund will help communities take control of pubs

The Community Pub Business Support Programme will provide grants, loans, business development support and advice to community groups in England to help establish community-owned venues.

It aims to support 80 community-owned pubs over two years, with services including an advice line, events, workshops and peer-to-peer study visits.

'Devolution in action'

Community pubs minister Marcus Jones, who announced the scheme yesterday (9 March), said: “The Great British pub is a national treasure and this new £3.6 million programme will give our communities support to keep pubs at the heart of local life. 

“Today’s announcement is one step further in protecting pubs as we listen to local communities and provide support on issues that matter to them - this is real devolution in action.”

The scheme will also offer flexible bursary awards to fund very early stage activity, such as community consultation work.

It will be led by Plunkett Foundation and jointly funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and Power to Change.

'Tackle rural disadvantage'

Vidhya Alakeson, chief executive of Power to Change, said the scheme can  “tackle problems of urban and rural disadvantage”.

“By acting as hubs for a multitude of activities in their local communities, community-owned pubs can make a significant contribution to reducing isolation, improving well-being and providing access to basic services,” Alaseson said.

“They can bring the heart back to many communities that have been hollowed out by the loss of local services.”

Successful groups will have to clearly demonstrate how they will bring significant social, economic and environmental benefits to their communities.

An example of a pub which would benefit from the scheme is the Anglers Rest in Bamford, Derbyshire.

The pub was purchased in 2013 by 300 people from the local community. It now hosts a cafe and Post Office, while any profits generated are reinvested back into the community.

'Community cohesion'

Peter Couchman, chief executive of Plunkett Foundation, said: “This programme will significantly increase the number of community-owned pubs open and trading, bringing far-reaching benefits to local people.

“For many communities, pubs are not just a place to drink; they are central to peoples’ sense of place and identity, they provide an important place for people to meet and help to build community cohesion.”

The programme also seeks to support forty existing community owned pubs, and a further 1,250 which have been listed as assets of community value, by:

• Providing regeneration through access to public services and amenities to those who are socially excluded
• Promoting employment, education and training in areas of high social need
• Encouraging volunteering, citizenship and community development as a hub for community groups

'Groundbreaking'

The scheme is being delivered in collaboration with Co-operative & Community Finance, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Co-operative Mutual Solutions and Pub is the Hub and Locality.

Chief executive of CAMRA Tim Page said: “With 27 pubs closing every week, CAMRA welcomes this great news. Pubs play a key role in communities, increasingly providing services which go above and beyond their traditional role. This programme will provide groundbreaking and comprehensive support for communities seeking to buy local pubs to save them from closure.

“The announcement of the the Community Pub Business Support Programme recognises the valuable contribution our pubs make in our villages, towns and cities, and brings confidence to communities who want to keep their pub open for business.

“We would like the government to build further on its support of the pub by cutting beer duty and ensuring that planning permission is required for a pub to be converted to any other use.”