SUPERMARKETS ARE KILLING US SAY LOCAL PUBLICANS
December 9, 2008 12:00 AM
'Supermarkets and Beer Duty are killing us,' says Barry Lewis, Chairman of the Barnstaple & North Devon Licensed Victuallers Association, adding, 'Mr Darling is the Mr Beeching of pubs.'
Nick meets local Licencees in North Devon
At a recent meeting of the Association Nick Harvey MP for North Devon heard how supermarkets not pubs are to blame for fuelling binge drinking. Also publicans say that Government plans for a mandatory retailing code on pubs to combat the problem will make life even harder.
Mr Lewis went on to say, 'There are 589 licensed pubs in North Devon and they police their own establishments, supermarkets do not, once the alcohol has left the premises they wash their hands of it - yet we seem to be held responsible.'
'I appreciate that with off-sales there are no real control measures at the point of consumption,' observes Nick Harvey. 'I have had meetings with the Licensing Minister and the Treasury to argue that the latest rise in Beer Duty is too much of blunt instrument to tackle this problem. There needs to be minimum pricing for supermarkets and I am now pressing for this.'
Tackled on the issue of a rating re-assessment for pubs following the smoking ban Nick said he had been advised by John Healy, Minister for Local Government, that this is 'potentially ' a valid ground for appeal, but would have to be done on case by case basis. 'I would urge all pubs to make an appeal.'
Notes for Editors
Actions being considered by the Government include:
• banning offers like 'all you can drink for £10'
• outlawing promotions that target certain groups, such as 'ladies nights'
• banning supermarket deals that require customers to buy large amounts of alcohol to get discounts
• making sure consumers can see the unit content on bottles and cans
As part of this crackdown, the government will spend £3 million targeting alcohol-related problems in 190 locations. A further £1.5 million will go to areas with known problems, to help them stop sales of alcohol to underage drinkers, and to ensure they can confiscate alcohol from minors.
Contact Mr Barry Lewis, the Chairman, Barnstaple & North Devon Licensed Victuallers Association, the Royal George, Irsha Street, Appledore, EX39 1RJ Tel: 01237 474335
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