The Government was defeated by 284 votes to 259 with MPs from all parties voting in favour of a new clause to the Small Business Bill that will empower pubco licensees to choose between a tied agreement and a market rent only agreement, allowing them to buy beer on the open market. This will help deliver more investment in your local pubs, better choice and ultimately fewer pub closures.

Achieving this will help spell the end of pubco licensees being forced out of business through high rents and tied product prices. The family brewers (who generally treat their licensees fairly) will not be affected.

The new amendment follows the Government's decision to introduce a Pubs Adjudicator and Statutory Code to protect thousands of licensees from unfair business practices in the pubs industry earlier this year.

This extraordinary win would not have been possible without the support of CAMRA members and campaigners who have backed this campaign for over ten years.

Over the last decade many thousands of pubs have been lost as big pub companies have squeezed them out of existence with sky-high rents and beer prices. With 31 pubs closing a week it is vital that publicans, who are on the frontline of keeping our valued community pubs open, are given protection from heavy handed business practices from the big pubcos. The Government's introduction of a Pubs Adjudicator is another line of defence in protecting the nation's pubs.

Extracted from a CAMRA mailing/website.