I am hoping that, by the time you read this, the so called Freedom Day will have come to pass and the restrictions on our pubs will have been lifted. The Prime Minister made it clear that, although the pandemic was not over and we still needed to be cautious, it was now time to move away from legal restrictions and allow people to make their own informed decisions about how to manage the virus. For many reasons, there can be no return to our previous ‘normal’; we will need to develop a ‘new normal’ which involves living with COVID.
There is a lot in this edition which is encouraging for the future of both the pub trade and brewing industry, although there are still problems to be faced, not least – eventually – outstanding rents. A jarring note however comes from Young’s who have decided that they no longer wish to operate tenanted pubs. Under this system, pubs are leased to individuals (or sometimes companies) who run them as their own businesses, as opposed to managed houses operated directly by the owning pub company or brewery. Tenancies have long been the backbone of the trade and give us pubs with distinctive character rather than corporate branding. The system is by no means perfect, as indicated by the need for a Pubs Code to regulate it, but at its best it is well worth keeping.
FIFTY UP!
More parochially, this edition is the fiftieth that I have edited, the first having been June/July 2013 (35/03). I have re-read that edition to see if there were any worthwhile comparisons to be made. Eight years on, give or take the odd pandemic, the subjects we are covering now are much the same or are variations on a theme. Campaigning to save pubs has remained a priority. One report was that Hackney Council had refused permission for the Geffrye Museum to demolish the Marquis of Lansdowne – see Pub News. There was also an advert for the Grape & Grain at Crystal Palace which was then a thriving free house but today, having been bought by Wetherspoon’s, stands empty. The Mayor of London at the time was, incidentally, a certain Boris Johnson. Let us continue to fight our good fight.
This edition is dedicated to the memory of my good friend, travelling companion and long time drinking partner, David Paterson.
Tony Hedger