Valerie votes to defeat Government and delivers a fair deal for local pubs.

On Tuesday 18 November 2014, Valerie voted to protect local businesses from the predatory practices of large pub owning companies (known as pubcos) by backing a new cross-party clause to the Small Business Bill.

Valerie Vaz MP said:

“I was pleased to vote for this cross-party clause to strengthen the Small Business Bill. The Government opposed these changes but they were defeated by 284 votes to 269. Clause 2 provides a mandatory free of tie option which allows publicans to buy beer on the open market.”

“The result of this vote will ensures that large pub companies offer fair terms to their licensees and will help prevent local community pubs from closing. Under the original Bill, licencees would merely have the right to ask their pub company to show them how much their rent would be under a free of tie scheme. However, even if they revealed that the landlord would be better of free-of-tie they would have had no legal right to demand this option.”

“Each week 27 pubs close and 57% of landlords who are tied to a large pubco earn less than £10,000 a year. Labour have called for greater protection for local pubs and to put a stop to unfair treatment and restrictive practices by pubcos. The result of this vote will support local businesses in Walsall South.”

Further information about the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill 2014-15 can be found here: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2014-15/smallbusinessenterpriseandemployment.html

The vote on Clause 2 in Parliament can be found here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/chan62.pdf