Alistair Darling told of North Yorkshire's ailing pubs (From York Press)
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Alistair Darling told of North Yorkshire's ailing pubs
8:40am Thursday 26th March 2009 in News By Scott Armstrong
THE crisis facing York and North Yorkshire pubs has been brought before the Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling.
The Press recently revealed how the credit crunch, smoking ban and cheap alcohol in supermarkets were driving pubs around the city out of business.
Now City of York MP Hugh Bayley has written to Mr Darling, urging him to offer more support to pubs and clubs in the 2009 Budget.
Following a meeting with the Licensed Victuallers Association in January, Mr Bayley sent out questionnaires to pubs and workingmen’s clubs in his constituency to find out how they were coping. He sent a copy of the results to the Chancellor together with his recommendations.
The survey showed the licensees’ four main concerns were:
* Taxation: The recent duty changes were introduced alongside the temporary reduction in VAT and, when the two changes are taken together, alcohol prices remained broadly the same. But when VAT returns to 17.5 per cent it will result in a rise in taxation. Mr Bayley has asked the Chancellor to reduce duty when VAT rises again.
* Inquiry into minimum pricing for alcohol: Most licensees believed the biggest factor in falling profits was cheaper supermarket sales, and 96 per cent did not want supermarkets to be able to sell alcohol at cheap rates.
* Loss-leader promotions: The majority of licensees did not want alcohol to be used in loss-leader promotions by off-licences, supermarkets or bars. They were unable to compete and believed it could encourage irresponsible drinking.
* Pub company/landlord contracts: The relationship between pub companies and landlords needs to be examined in greater detail with a view to ensuring landlords are treated fairly when they enter into a contract with a pub company or a brewery. Many landlords believed rents had gone up disproportionately to the cost of living over the last year and the amount they were charged for beer and spirits was often too high.
Mr Bayley said: “Landlords are not getting a fair deal from their contacts with the pub companies and this needs to be looked at.
“I also want the Government to look at the pricing of alcohol; supermarkets and some of the big pub chains are selling alcohol at prices publicans cannot begin to compete with.”
Comments(17)
akuma
says...
10:15am Thu 26 Mar 09
The days of going to the pub for a smoke and a pint are over.
Alot of local pubs had there entire business model set on this premise, and now that is no longer the case.
Many long established trades have fallen by the way side as the world marches ever forwards on its unpredicatable path, local pubs seem to be the latest causualty, with others including blacksmiths, milkmen, local greengrocers, local petrol stations, cobblers, all long established worthy trades that the mordern world has out grown.
Of course if you are a landlord it doesn't make it any easier to swallow, as that it your livelyhood.
Eventually as one generation passes, and the new generation grows up never knowing smoke and a pint menat, they'll wonder what all the old people are fussing about!
Guy Fawkes
says...
10:20am Thu 26 Mar 09
Why is it we don't hear about restaurants complaining about the price of cheap food in the supermarkets?
Probably because the main reason most people go to a restaurant isn't just related to the food itself, but having someone else cook it for you (in the case of a posh restaurant, to a higher standard than you're able to do yourself) and then wash up afterwards. OK, a really nice steak may cost a third of the price in Tesco to having it served in a restaurant, but you've still got to prepare it.
That doesn't really apply to booze, unless removing a crown cap from a bottle represents serious effort for the purchaser! A lot of people go to pubs simply to drink and socialise, and if it gets prohibitively expensive to do that, then this activity can be shifted to the home simply and easily, thereby making the pubs especially vulnerable.
Interesting that landlords didn't cite the smoking ban among their top problem factors.
sun seeker's
says...
10:33am Thu 26 Mar 09
ch
says...
11:09am Thu 26 Mar 09
Its not £4.8 million by the time the new Peasholm centre is finished it will be £7 million wasted
tonezzzznoddedoff
says...
12:08pm Thu 26 Mar 09
akuma wrote:Sadly, I do tend to agree with this, whereby the pub we have all known and loved for a pint with your mates is fast becoming a thing of the past and Americanised cafe-style bars are the way things are going, funny thing is though, all the american tourists I have spoken to just love 'The good old english pub'.
Very harshly put, but not without truth.
The days of going to the pub for a smoke and a pint are over.
Alot of local pubs had there entire business model set on this premise, and now that is no longer the case.
Many long established trades have fallen by the way side as the world marches ever forwards on its unpredicatable path, local pubs seem to be the latest causualty, with others including blacksmiths, milkmen, local greengrocers, local petrol stations, cobblers, all long established worthy trades that the mordern world has out grown.
Of course if you are a landlord it doesn't make it any easier to swallow, as that it your livelyhood.
Eventually as one generation passes, and the new generation grows up never knowing smoke and a pint menat, they'll wonder what all the old people are fussing about!
York1900
says...
12:50pm Thu 26 Mar 09
you have to have a minimum retail price for alcohol this is the only way you can stop Loss-leader promotions
landlords have to all so use the law they have already to refuse to serve anyone who is drunk
Henry Swanson
says...
12:53pm Thu 26 Mar 09
I think the people staying home and drinking is actually somewhet of an urban myth
chas
says...
3:17pm Thu 26 Mar 09
the butler
says...
4:53pm Thu 26 Mar 09
the butler
says...
4:54pm Thu 26 Mar 09
the butler
says...
4:54pm Thu 26 Mar 09
the butler
says...
4:55pm Thu 26 Mar 09
the butler
says...
4:57pm Thu 26 Mar 09
Bemused
says...
9:34pm Thu 26 Mar 09
the butler, cowichan Bay says...
4:55pm Thu 26 Mar 09
The government have changed much of the laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages alluding to the consumption of same; One drink and it's enough!This of course affects the customers habits, also the publicans bottom line. It it hard to do much socializing on one drink, Perhaps Hugh Bayley can get some town hall meetings activated to discuss these problems?
What on earth are you on about?
chas
says...
9:45pm Thu 26 Mar 09
chris w
says...
12:56am Fri 27 Mar 09
Independent voice says...
9:05am Thu 26 Mar 09