JUNE 5 UPDATE - THIS MEETING HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED

JUNE 5 UPDATE - THIS MEETING HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED

 

A YORK pub is to host a major regional roadshow event, to help brewers, pub tenants and other interested parties understand new industry changes.

The Volunteer Arms, in Watson Street in Holgate, will host the north-eastern leg of a national tour, aimed at helping those in the industry to adapt when the reforms come into effect next summer.

Last November, Parliament backed the introduction of a new code and the appointment of an adjudicator, to regulate the relationship between the large companies that own thousands of Britain's pubs, and their tenants who run the pubs day-to-day.

The changes give tenants a legal right to opt-out of the "beer tie", a long-standing and highly controversial system that has allowed the companies owning the pubs to force tenants to buy their beer through them alone. A new "market-rent only" option would allow tenants to still pay rent to the parent company but to buy beer from brewers directly, which supporters say would reduce their costs and enhance their businesses prospects.

The details of the new code are still being negotiated, and there is much speculation within the industry over the future of tied pubs.

The Pubs Advisory Service, which consists of trade experts involved in the legislative process, is representing tenants through the drafting of the code. They are holding five roadshow events nationwide, in Exeter, Leicester, Liverpool, London and York.

The events will be hosted by the MRO Advisory team of Chris Wright, Simon Clarke and Dave Mountford, and will explain the "market-rent only" option to licensees, brewers and other interested parties.

The meeting at the Volunteer Arms is on June 8, from 10.30am for an 11am start.

Tickets are £5 each and can be bought at http://pubs.expert/mro-and-the-future-of-pubs.html

The Volunteer Arms is run by Paul Crossman, who operates several pubs in York, including one tied pub and three freehouses that were previously owned by large companies.