Greater Reading Lib Dems

Reading East's Liberal Democrat prospective MP and one of the leaders of the Jollydarity campaign to reopen Newtown's Jolly Anglers, Cllr Gareth Epps, has hailed as a 'massive victory' the news that Enterprise Inns has lifted the restrictive covenant on the community pub, closed in brutal fashion in June - permitting it to reopen.

Gareth has been heavily involved with negotiations with the pub's new owners and prospective publicans on behalf of Jollydarity. He has been in regular contact with the owners, their agent and others, and has led attempts to persuade them that the Kennetside pub can reopen and be viable as a pub. The news was confirmed last night (Thursday 5 November).

The news has national implications as this is possibly the first time Enterprise Inns has agreed to lift a restrictive covenant it has imposed. The news will be welcomed by CAMRA and groups campaigning for an end to restrictive covenants that see often viable community pubs forced to close. The all-party Commons Business & Enterprise Committee in May urged the Government to outlaw this use of restrictive covenants - the Government is due to respond to the Select Committee report.

Gareth has campaigned for changes in the law to give publicans a fair deal. He conducted a pub survey across Reading East in the summer and has worked with leading pub campaigner Greg Mulholland MP (Lib Dem, Leeds NW) on taking action on the conclusions, published in September. The survey gained national coverage for the picture it gave of life working for Enterprise Inns and other 'pubcos'.

Commenting, Gareth said:-
"This is a massive victory for the local community in Newtown. From the night the Jolly Anglers closed, it was clear people wanted their pub back and were prepared for a community campaign like no other. That campaign has been a spectacular success, and I am delighted to have been part of it. Every Newtown resident and every CAMRA member who helped Jollydarity should be feeling really proud, and I thank them all.

It is a victory of national significance. Enterprise Inns' about-turn in lifting its restrictive covenant will give pub campaigners hope all across the country. The covenant should never have been imposed in the first place.

Now we just cross our fingers and hope we will be able to celebrate news of a new tenant shortly. There remain many issues to be addressed for publicans to get a fair deal. Wholesale price rip-offs, aggressive rent reviews and other pubco behaviour puts pub tenants working for pubcos in a situation where they're running their pub with both hands tied behind their back. In many ways the news for Jolly Anglers is even better than expected, as it looks like the pub will be free of the pubco cosh."

Gareth also commented on the actions of Reading East's Conservative MP in prematurely announcing a deal before it had been signed - leading to much anger being directed against the MP for potentially placing the deal in jeopardy:-
"The Conservatives, notably, did got get involved in Jollydarity events. The way their MP has behaved - announcing a deal had been signed when those involved told him and me that it had not - was tawdry and unacceptable. The behaviour of the Conservatives, sadly, potentially put the deal in jeopardy; it does them no credit."

Greater Reading Lib Dems

News

Epps Declares the Jolly Anglers' Green Light to Reopen as Pub: "A Massive Victory of National Significance"
06 November 2009