The Press is campaigning to give local people a say on pub closures and calling on politicians to do more to stop pubs being closed by the back-door.
Our campaign (launched here) says the Government should close a planning loophole that allows pubs to be turned into shops without any community consultation or planning debate, and calls until then on City of York Council to place "Article 4" protection on York's pubs, to force an open debate on any such plans in York.
York landlord Paul Crossman sets out here the raft of policies and decisions that have conspired against the pub trade.
But how can you help? There is one simple way: sign the petition set up in parallel to our campaign, calling on City of York Council and the Government to act. We don't say that all pubs should always be kept open, irrespective of local will. We say simply that closures should be discussed locally. We want a local say on local issues. >>> So please..... Sign the petition here
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