But Liam Byrne, chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee, clearly recognises that pubs are key to both economic success and sit at the heart of the communities they serve as well.
Speaking at the recent All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group annual awards dinner, he urged businesses to step up and amplify the noises around how much small businesses are struggling.
Almost like we’ve been sat on our hands doing nothing for the last year…
Reverse the damage
While I welcome his comments and his somewhat veiled criticism of the Government’s current economic approach, who has he and the rest of his colleagues been listening to prior to this?
Pub operators and their trade representatives have been shouting from the rooftops about the damage the budget has done to the sector. Campaigns have been launched, lobbying has intensified, yet nothing seems to have landed with those making the decisions.
The utter refusal to change course, reverse the damage caused, or mitigate with things like a VAT reduction has been galling, particularly in the face of constant Government claims of being business friendly.
Cornerstones of communities
Byrne is absolutely right - pubs are the cornerstones of communities, high streets and the economy. Yet the sector does not rate a meaningful mention in the Government’s industrial strategy.
While I would echo his words on businesses reaching out to MPs, something every pub operator in the country should be doing if they haven’t already, we need to step up the activity and continue to bang the drum, but I’d also urge Byrne and like-minded colleagues to start finding ways to ensure those views and messages are not just being heard by those in control, but acknowledged and acted upon.
We need real action by a Government that to all intents and purposes seems happy to sit back and let the hospitality sector slowly snuff out.
