Westminster View: Save the Great British Pub
19 March 2009
I am sure that many of my constituents, like me, will have noticed the face of Chelmsford’s streets changing over recent months. Not only have high-street and local shops found it particularly hard to survive during this economic recession, but also places where we all like to go to relax and spend our leisure time, like the local pub, are disappearing.
We all have our favourite local pub. Not only are they a critical part of our heritage but they are often hubs for local communities helping social groups, sports clubs and sometimes even the village shop.
Pubs are often small, family-run businesses – not only are they the social heart of their communities, they also provide jobs, and support the British brewing industry. Now, in the face of great adversity, we must do all we can to save them.
With nearly 6 pubs closing every day of the week, and local pubs in Chelmsford under threat, I believe that the Government should be doing more to save the Great British pub. And it is important to remember that each time a public house closes, it is not just an inconvenience for the local residents and patrons, it also involves people very sadly losing their jobs.
I am therefore proudly joining my Party’s campaign and am calling on the Government to help save our pubs and safeguard local jobs. They can do this by taking a number of very simple measures.
Many might be surprised to find out that 33 per cent of the price of every pint goes in Beer Tax to the Chancellor. Now the Government plans to increase Beer Tax further. I believe we should cut taxes on lower alcohol drinks, such as low alcohol beers, and raise taxes on problem drinks like high strength ciders and alcopops. By doing so we can use the tax system to target binge drinking while ensuring that responsible drinkers and the traditional British pub are not unfairly penalised.
We should also enforce existing laws to deal firmly with irresponsible drinkers and premises, and trust adults to make informed choices, rather than punish them for the actions of an irresponsible minority.
For too long the Government has tried to tackle binge drinking by punishing responsible drinkers and landlords. With massive tax hikes and heavy-handed regulation, all Labour will succeed in doing is closing down more pubs. This has to stop.
We should be proud of our brewers, proud of our pub industry, and proud of Chelmsford’s pubs and the many wonderful village pubs that are nearby. We must do what we can to support them. That is why I am supporting this campaign. I hope you will join me.
