Act fast before landlords call 'time' for good
The Conservative Party has launched a campaign to save the great British pub. Quite right too.
Mind you, we don't need a political campaign to raise awareness of the plight of our boozers. A walk around any town tells you everything you need to know.
Pubs are part of the fabric of this country. Sure, bars and trendy cafes that serve alcohol have a place, but nothing beats a good old-fashioned pub and all it entails.
Around 30 pubs are closing every week in the UK. In Chichester I know of at least two that have bitten the dust, and on a drive through Littlehampton the other week I noted a couple of pubs that are no more.
There are also two pubs within yards of each other that have shut up shop in Yapton.
And it's not just the recession that is to blame. The draconian legislation that saw smoking outlawed in pubs is undoubtedly a factor.
Some landlords of my acquaintance say this has been a problem for the pub trade, especially those that were never food-oriented pubs.
Cheap supermarket booze is another thorn in the pub trade's side. I recently saw 12 cans of Guinness priced at a tenner.
With such cheap ale available, why go to the pub and fork out the best part of three quid for a pint of the black stuff?
Then you have beer tax. The Tories claim 33 per cent of the price of every pint goes in tax to the chancellor and rumour has it this could be increased further.
So what can we do to secure the future of our local pubs? The simplest solution is to get off our backsides and use them.
We are lucky to have some fantastic boozers, steeped in heritage, across the county.
At a time when people are increasingly in need of inclusion, the pub has a vital role to play.
The only other alternative is a bail-out by the government, but somehow I can't see Westminster's Chardonnay-swilling ministers having this notion anywhere near the top of their agendas.
If you don't want your local to call 'time' forever, make sure you use it.
Love your library
It's World Book Day today. My little girlie loves books and adores a trip to the library. This week, thanks to library books, we found out all about Christmas in Africa and enjoyed some cracking stories and poems.
Costing not a penny, if your child isn't yet a member of a library then I urge you to get them signed up.
As well as encouraging a love of reading, children also have access to a vast array of CDs and DVDs. Chichester Library is currently being refurbished but arrangements are in place to borrow and return items during the closure.
Visit www.westsussex.gov.uk and follow the link to Libraries and Archives for more info.
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Weather for Chichester
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 13 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: West
