CAMRA is calling on tied tenants in England and Wales to share their views on the Pubs Code and how it is working via a simple online survey.
The consumer group, which played an instrumental role in bringing forward the introduction of the Pubs Code for England and Wales, is keen to ensure tied tenants’ views are front and centre in the second statutory review of the legislation.
The Pubs Code is a fundamental part of the key legislation that is meant to regulate and balance the relationship between tied tenants and their pub companies. It was brought in after the self-regulation regimes put in place by pub owning businesses was found by Parliament to have fundamentally failed.
A review of how it is working in practice has been launched by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and will cover the period April 2019 – March 2022.
CAMRA Chairman Nik Antona said, “The introduction of the Pubs Code was the culmination of years of campaigning by tied tenants, however, it’s not delivering as it was intended. It’s vital that tied tenants take part in the Pubs Code Review and are able to be honest and open about where the Code is working, and more importantly where it isn’t.
“Every time legislation concerning pub companies is proposed or reviewed, we see the inevitable slew of press releases and reports extolling the virtues of the tied model.
'While pub companies certainly offer services for tenants, it is vital that tied tenants are given the opportunity to share views independently of their pub companies, and with the option to remain anonymous if they wish – which our survey allows.
“We will be submitting the survey results to the Department for Energy, Business and Industrial Strategy, alongside our formal submission which will raise issues such as inflated dilapidations bills, guest beer rights, and the necessary expansion of the remit of the Code to include more tied tenants and types of operating agreements.”