UK pubs challenge Government plans for Code of Conduct

The British Beer & Pub Association has written to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith asking her to reconsider the Government's proposed mandatory code of practice. It is based on flawed evidence, and will cause more closures, says the BBPA.

Chief executive of the BBPA Rob Hayward argues that the prospect of the code costing the trade more than £300m - which includes a £178m fall in yearly turnover - in its first year is causing “considerable anxiety...This cost, associated as it is with the mandatory elements of the proposed code, will not discriminate between the responsible and the irresponsible...The inevitable consequence of such a measure, as acknowledged by the government, will be to push more pubs out of business and more people out of work.”

The letter also attacks the government-commissioned KPMG report into standards around alcohol retailing. Hayward admits that “all-you-can-drink” and "free drinks for women” promotions are “unacceptable”. However he adds: "we are unable to find any reference to such specific promotions in the KPMG study, to which we believe you are referring. Indeed, the data in the KPMG report relating to promotions shows the incidence of what the report defines as irresponsible promotions generally among the sample (414 high street locations) to be extremely low – amounting to only about two per cent of premises."

Read more about this from The Publican here