The Tied Pubs Bill has introduced much needed reforms and a new regulator for leased and tenanted pubs in Scotland, the bill was the culmination of many years work by Forum of Private Business member, the Pubs Advisory Service, which has helped us to find solutions to many of the issues facing pub tenants throughout the UK.

Chris Wright who heads up the service, proposed a raft of reforms under a private members bill which was finally passed by a unanimous vote on Tues 23rd March in Holyrood.

The Forum was on hand to help Chris as he campaigned for what has become a business “first” in Scotland. The bill now ensures fair and lawful dealing and rebalancing risk and reward on primary legislation for the very first time. This has changed the financial prospects for hundreds of Scottish businesses at a stroke.

Chris Wright commented, “Whilst the FPB had no formal role as a stakeholder during the passage of the bill I was well supported throughout by Ian Cass, Managing Director, and was able to speak with him on a regular basis. It was great to have Ian on hand and he made it clear that I was able to call him anytime I needed to, his experience in dealing with legislators and regulators was an asset.”

Ian Cass commented,“It’s great to see a Forum member delivering meaningful reforms for hundreds of businesses and this demonstrates the value of membership and of partnership, it shows how working together and using Forum resources can bring about change. As an organisation we are planning on following this approach in other sectors and look forward to getting Chris’s views on how we can best deliver similar outcomes for even more businesses on areas such as late payment, the UK’s pub code legislation and better regulation in general when dealing with small businesses.

Chris and I share the same view, that all small businesses ask is that doing business is kept simple and to be able to compete on a level playing field. In some cases, where balance is lost, this is not happening. A change will only occur if we continue to ensure poor business practices are highlighted and that high standards and if needed effective regulation is applied, to balance the playing field back towards small businesses.”

The Forum of Private Business has spent over 40 years representing small businesses throughout the UK and are one of the few organisations that government and regulators engage with and listen to regularly. So, with a growing number of hospitality members and the need for a united voice, we launched the Forum of British Pubs to truly represent publicans and make a real difference.

It’s completely free to become a supporter, it’s very easy to do and will take you less than 30 seconds. Just use the form at the top of this page or visit our Protect Your Pub page and enter your name, email and pub details. You’ll join a growing community of pub owners and supporters who can make sure your views and voices are heard where it matters!