Cards are stacked against the landlord
IT WAS saddening to read in your June 17 edition that the historic Vine pub in Chertsey is to close.
I note that a spokesman for Enterprise Inns blamed difficult trading conditions for the closure.
However, it should not be forgotten that the tenant of one of the major pub chains has the cards stacked against him in a number of ways. The supply of beer and other drinks are often tied in a way that can result in him having to pay up to double the market rate and choice is often severely restricted.
Upward-only rent reviews also bear little relation to market conditions and landlords are faced with an increasingly onerous burden of regulation and taxation.
The independent free house providing an incentive for enterprising owner-managers should be the way forward, but here initiative is often stifled.
When tied pubs have been forced to close, pub companies often sell them off for development with a restrictive covenant, meaning the property cannot be used as a pub in the future. The Campaign for Real Ale is urging the Government to make this restrictive practice illegal.
ANTHONY DAVIS
Campaign for Real Ale
Marley Close Addlestone
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