Here is a copy of an email sent to me today. If you enjoy a pint or two in your local please follow the links and make your voice heard.
With 50 pubs now closing every week across Britain as a result of the recession and record tax rises, landlords are now facing a further threat to their livelihoods under Government plans to impose a new costly and bureaucratic "mandatory code".
Home Office Ministers say the code is needed to tackle anti-social disorder. But, as ever, it is the decent, responsible majority that will have to pay for it. The cost to the British pub industry of implementing these new regulations would be an estimated £58 million in the first year and £38 million in subsequent years - costs that will hit landlords and consumers alike.
While one or two parts of the code may be sensible in themselves - stopping bars and pubs holding irresponsible promotions like "all you can drink for a tenner", for instance - using the law in this way is like using a hammer to crack a nut. It is yet further evidence of the nanny state going too far not least because local councils and the police have the powers they need to tackle alcohol-related disorder already.
Pubs provide a good environment to be able to supervise and control drinking and encourage responsible behavior - and the vast majority of pubs work closely with local police and councils to tackle anti-social behavior where it occurs. So hitting pubs with more and more costs only helps to undermine the best solution to the problem of excessive drinking.
The Home Office is now asking the public for its views on its plans as part of its "consultation process". So the good news is that you, the responsible majority of decent, law-abiding consumers and landlords concerned about the future of the Great British Pub, do have an opportunity to make your views heard by Government Ministers.
We are therefore asking that you click here to answer the questions posed by the Government in the way that we think will best minimise the cost to British pubs and stop the present record pub closure rate getting even worse.
But hurry, you have to get your response to the Home Office by Wednesday 5th August for it to be considered.
Thank you so much for your ongoing support in helping us oppose threats to a great British institution.
Click Here to Make Your Opinion Heard
You can read the full Home Office consultation document by clicking here.
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