Landlord fights pub trade threat

Rik Cowlard, 40, manager of the Bell Hotel in Church Street, Bexhill, for the past four years, is furious that the new coalition government appears poised to substantially increase duty on alcohol and put up VAT.

He said: "I've just been forced to add 10p to the price of many of the drinks I sell, and if the new budget brings the increases it's rumoured to, then prices will have to go up even more.

"Right now a pint of lager costs around 3.10 and premium lager 3.50. Bu we're rapidly heading towards a time when a pint of beer in this country will cost around 5."

In a letter to Mr Barker, Mr Cowlard said: "All pubs will be controlled by greedy pub companies, and those who try to run community pubs will be forced to find alternative employment.

"It is a fact that these increases will force yet more pubs to close, and yet again we live on lies fed to us in a time of need."

In May last year Mr Cowlard visited Mr Barker at the House of Commons, and claims he was told that the Conservatives would help pubs like his to combat such problems.

Any tax rises would be focused on high-volume ciders and there would be a clampdown on supermarkets offering cheap drink deals.

But Mr Cowlard said he felt angry and disillusioned that since last month's General Election, when he put his faith in Mr Barker and the Tories, it now seemed the promised support was falling away.

While well aware that steps have to be taken to help Britain overcome a mountain of debt as it climbs out of recession, Mr Cowlard said it was unfair to once again penalise small businesses.

"Every day you read stories of corrupt MPs stealing from the public, bankers getting six-figure bonuses and executives being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds, so why should we always bear the brunt of it?"

To add to publicans' woes the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) wants a blanket ban on alcohol advertising '“ an industry worth 800 million a year '“ to deal with Britain's booze epidemic.

Nice also says alcohol should become less easy to buy, possibly by reducing imports, cutting the number of outlets in a particular area or slashing the days and hours during which drinks can be purchased.

Mr Barker said he did not know what decisions Chancellor George Osborne would make on taxing drink when he delivers his budget next Tuesday, June 22.

But he said: "We have pledged to conduct a wider review of alcohol taxation and pricing to ensure it tackles binge drinking without unfairly penalising responsible drinkers, pubs and important local industries.

"In particular, we have outlined plans to ban supermarkets, and indeed all outlets, from selling alcohol at below cost price."

Mr Barker said ministers were also looking at the "supply tie" - a concern for landlords forced to go to a single source for their stock - and plan to reform corporation tax and cut red tape affecting businesses.