BOTTLE JOB
Readers may recall that the Government of Scotland recently attempted to introduce a recycling scheme for bottles and cans. It is currently suspended because of problems with its implementation. The Westminster Government are however going to attempt something similar but from a different angle. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy, originally devised by the previous government, is aimed at making manufacturers meet the cost of recycling and the handling of packaging; it will apply to the drinks industry. Starting next April, a fee will be added to the cost of each bottle sold. This could be between 3p and 7p for a 330ml bottle and 9p for a 500ml one. Understandably, the trade is objecting. Some 3.2 billion bottles of beer are sold in the UK every year and they are claiming that they would have to increase their prices by some £212 million overall per annum. This would be in addition to the increase in beer duty, which is expected to happen next February. If these higher costs lead to falling sales, the production of bottled beers may well be significantly reduced. CAMRA have joined the Independent Family Brewers of Britain IFBB), the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) and the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) in lobbying the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for a rethink. The managing director of Theakstons pointed out that the glass used in the UK already has a high recycled content and little of it ends up in landfill. I would have thought that the main aim should be to encourage consumers to put their bottles into bottle banks for recycling, rather than discourage them from buying them.
LONDON PUB NUMBERS
At the end of July the Greater London Assembly issued some information on London pubs, based on data supplied by the Office for National Statistics. The overall number of pubs fell by 40, from 3,575 in March 2022 to 3,535 in March 2023. It had been 4,835 in 2001. Interestingly though, the number of employees rose by 4.3%, which was attributed to new pubs being larger. In 13 boroughs, the number of pubs increased and, also in 13, the number of pubs fell. The other seven were stable. The biggest loss was seen in the City of London which saw its pubs fall by 15 to 145, possibly attributable to the effects of the pandemic. Bexley, famous for its micropubs, saw the largest increase, by 15 to 100. The City of Westminster has the most pubs, 435, but Barking and Dagenham, with a population of 219,000, had only 15. Quoting pub numbers does, however, depend on the definition that you use. There is no agreed definition of a pub for planning purposes, something that CAMRA is lobbying to see introduced. Under CAMRA’s definition there were 4099 open pubs on 10 March 2024.
PUBS CODE ADJUDICATOR UPDATE
I haven’t mentioned the PCA recently but Fiona Dickie’s work continues. She recently published the results of this year’s annual survey of tied tenants, which covers main pub owning businesses (Admiral, Greene King, Marston’s, Punch, Star Pubs & Bars and Stonegate). Out of 1,203 tenants interviewed, 63% were satisfied with their particular POB but 21% were not. The main complaints were about disputes and delays over repairs, problems with deliveries and a general unhappiness with the lack of communication and support, especially over changes in company policy. Marston’s were the best regarded, with an approval rating of 79%.