15 years ago: 2010
The Government appointed Bob Neill as minister responsible for community pubs, following pressure from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) as the consumer group had written to the Prime Minister urging an appointment to be made to help protect pubs.
The post of pubs minister had previously been scrapped but was revived and slightly altered as community pubs minister.
Meanwhile, there were warnings reducing the drink-drive limit could force rural pubs to close.
At the time, trade chiefs sounded the alarm to MPs on the Transport Committee, which were examining calls for a reduction of 80mg to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
There were other warnings in the month 15 years ago including operators being urged to make sure they had the right licence in place to operate various games machines.
The Gambling Commission called on pubs to be on guard against machine suppliers trying to pass of amusement with prizes machines as games of skill.
Elsewhere in October, Diageo opened a £40m, 3,000msq Roseisle malt distillery in Speyside.
The drinks company said it was part of its £600m investment in Scotland and was the first of scale to be opened in the country for more than three decades.
Meanwhile in October 2010, the Black Swan at Oldstead, North Yorkshire was named Pub of the Year at the AA Hospitality Awards that year.
The venue, which also received a Michelin Rising Star award earlier in 2010, was praised for its “top-notch innkeeping, great food, real ales and beautifully appointed accommodation”.
10 years ago: 2015
Questions were asked about Sober October and whether it is an opportunity or a threat for pubs.
Kate Nicholls, who is now UKHospitality chair and was then the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers chief executive, said it was an opportunity to spotlight the great things the sector was achieving in terms of soft drinks, artisan coffee ad inventive non-alcoholic cocktails.
Moreover, October 2015 revealed a third of vegetarians eat meat when they were under the influence of alcohol.
Kebab meat was the top meat to eat (39% of the 1,789 UK vegetarians surveyed by VoucherCodesPro), followed by beef burgers (34%), bacon (27%), fried chicken (19%) and pork sausages (14%).
The month also saw the Government unveil plans to introduce the apprenticeship levy, which came under fire from trade bodies, arguing it would place a burden on pubs.
The proposals came as part of the Government’s plan to boost the number of apprenticeships in the UK and help employers choose and pay for training.
At the time, the levy would apply to larger employers but there was debate on which companies would be liable for the fee.
The British Beer & Pub Association argued only companies with more than 250 employees should be made to pay.
Furthermore, there were reports a draft statutory pubs code was set to be published imminently after applications for the role of pubs code adjudicator closed.
5 years ago: 2020
October 2020 saw the 10pm curfew during the Covid pandemic in place, sparking outrage from the sector.
Estimates showed pubs were missing out on more than £47m of beer sales as a result of the restriction while multiple operator Mark Robson warned it was killing momentum.
Halfway through the month, the Government announced a three-tier system of Covid-19 restrictions, with Liverpool the first area to be subject to the third tier, “very high” lockdown measures, which saw last orders called in pubs and bars, except where serving substantial meals.
Following this, crowds of hospitality staff descended on parliament to make some noise and remind politicians of the the ongoing struggles restrictions were putting on the sector.
The month ended with then Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing a second lockdown, meaning pubs had to close for a month, starting from Thursday 5 November.
