Industry News

Raise a glass to CAMRA

INDUSTRY NEWS- CAMRA

Community Pubs Minister Brandon Lewis raised a glass to announce that 100 community pubs have been listed as assets of community value helping to safeguard their futures.

The minister has called on more people to get behind their local pub and praised the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) initiative to #ListYourLocal which aims to get 300 pubs listed as assets of community value. Speaking at the Great British Beer festival last month the minister talked about the importance of the local pub as part of our economic, social and cultural past, present and future.

The Community Right to Bid gives communities the opportunity to nominate an asset to be included on a list of assets of community value which delays the sale should a treasured local assets be put up for sale. This gives communities time to put in a takeover bid of their own. Previously, communities had no opportunity or time to gather resources to do this.

In April 2013, the Ivy House pub in Nunhead, South East London became the first ever Community Right to Bid-listed pub. In less than a year the Ivy House has gone from last orders to champagne celebrations and now the community has announced a community share issue scheme, where people can buy shares in the pub to help run it and keep it open in the long term.

Community Pubs Minister Brandon Lewis said:

We have known for hundreds of years just how valuable our locals are. Not just as a place to grab a pint but also to the economies and communities of those they serve and that is why we are doing everything we can to support and safeguard community pubs from closure.

CAMRA’s campaign to List your local is doing a fabulous job raising awareness of our new Community Right to Bid and I am delighted that 100 loved locals have now been listed as assets of community value. Cheers to each and every one!”

Chief Executive of CAMRA Mike Benner said:

CAMRA is delighted that the government has recognised the vital importance of pubs and empowered communities to protect them. By listing their local, communities are ensuring that if the pub is under threat in the future, there is a much-needed extra layer of protection which ‘stops the clock’ should it be put up for sale.”

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