Crisis summit held for pubs

Some 2,000 British pubs have closed with the loss of 20,000 jobs in the past year, a crisis summit on the state of the industry has heard.

Industry representatives and MPS have told government ministers that the pub industry faces meltdown if government beer tax increases further.

The UK Pubs Crisis Ministerial Summit has heard that the latest Com Res poll shows that 70% of people want the Chancellor of the Exchequer to scrap plans for more taxes on beer in next month's Budget from members of various trade organisations. It was also warned that up to 75,000 jobs could go.

Rob Hayward, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: "These new figures reveal the true scale of the struggle facing the beer and pub industry.
"There was understandable political concern about the recent 850 job losses at Mini. The pub sector is losing nearly twice as many jobs every month. Furthermore, when a pub closes a family loses not only its livelihood, but its home."

Hayward said that the industry would be urging the Government to shelve the Mandatory Code in the Police and Crime Bill, which could lead to further closures.
The five Ministers at the summit, Alan Campbell MP, Home Office, Angela Eagle MP, HM Treasury, Rt Hon John Healey MP, Dept for Communities and Local Government, Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Department of Health and Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Department of Culture Media and Sport, were told of the deepening crisis in the industry.

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