The Forum of Private Business, working with the Pub Defender Dave Mountford, have launched The Forum of British Pubs

Focusing on providing support to local pubs as they struggle through the current lockdown, and as they emerge and reopen, the new Forum will provide both advice and dedicated key service offerings, as well as being the campaigning voice within government and with the pub operating companies.

‘The UK pub sector has been under pressure for many years and the current pandemic has exposed many of these issues, the fragility of parts of the sector and the need for real change,’ says Pub Defender, Dave Mountford.

The Forum for British Pubs will specifically look to address:

• The removal of bad business practices and unfair behaviour prevalent in the hospitality industry, driven largely by the big brewing companies.
• Balancing of the power currently in the hands of the PubCo’s fairly across the industry, enabling the pubs to make a decent living whist acting ethically and in the interests of their clients.
• The enforcement of the intentions of the Pub Code set out to protect pubs, but currently with very limited power in the hands of the Pubs Code Adjudicator
• The provision to the Government of an informed representative body to engage with on issues relating to the pub trade, and the survival of pubs, many of which sit at the heart of the community. Hitherto the Government has tended to default to the main PubCo’s which has inevitably created a bias towards the PubCo’s and away from the pubs themselves.
• Providing a trusted voice within the industry, and a source of honest, ethical, and balanced information.
• Creation of an independent advisory body for the Pub Code Adjudicator, and the BEIS taskforce, as an interface between the pubs themselves the Adjudicator and BEIS.

Managing Director of the new Forum for British Pubs, Ian Cass explained:
“The Forum of British Pubs has been formed to protect and preserve British pubs and the publicans who operate them. We aim to support the free trade and tenanted pub sector, giving them practical, proactive, and preventative advice and support as well as being a strong campaigning voice with government and the pub operating companies”

- You Contact the Forum for British Pubs on 01565 626056 or email [email protected]

- You can find further details and the sign-up form to support the campaign at:
https://www.forumofbritishpubs.com/protect-your-pub/

- You can see the results of the Forum for British Pubs latest post covid-19 pub survey which was conducted with their supporters at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-6PBZC3NN7/

Survey Headlines based on 422 Survey responses from 750 people

• 76 % of the respondents are from regulated Pub companies (the big 6).
• 71 % said their rent was based on Fair Maintainable Trade (FMT) with 60 % saying they trade below FMT and 95 % say that the method of calculating rent was unfair and outdated.
• 35 % said the grant they had received was already spent.
• Only 16 % applied for a CBILs loan, many were told not to bother by their banks and of that 16 % only 8 % were successful in obtaining one.
• 51 % applied for a Bounce back loan and 53 % said that they did not think their business would satisfy the new debt they had taken on.
• 50 % of landlords have deferred rents until reopening and 32 % of those would obtained a grant have received a demand for it to be used to pay rent by the landlord on more than one occasion, 60 % said that they felt their landlords were only focused on their own interests
• 68 % of tenants did not think they would last longer than 15 weeks of lockdown
• 71 % could not see a workable and financially viable plan with social restrictions in place with 88 % saying clientele would not be comfortable returning under social restrictions
• Only 3 % agreed with the following statement, I will be able to meet all of my obligations to Health & Hygiene and Health & Safety for both my employees & customers when we re-open with strict social distancing measures in place”
• 99 % said that under the current circumstance’s rents should be recalculated
• 90 % said they would not recommend a Leased and tenant Pub to others
• Ranked from 1 -12 in terms of advice and support – the Face book group and fellow Publicans ranked highest – the Landlord and the PCA ranked lowest and second lowest