A race against time has begun to help communities wanting to save their local pub after the Government turned its back on offering support to the 39 communities facing pub closures every week. It was announced today that an emergency Co-operative Pub Summit is being called by the Plunkett Foundation as a response to news that a co-operative pubs support programme has been cancelled.
The Community-Owned Pubs Support Programme was announced by the Department for Communities and Local Government in March as part of a 12 point plan for helping pubs. Despite no formal launch, 82 communities sought the help of the project leaders, the Plunkett Foundation, to turn their threatened pubs into community-owned co-operative pubs. Yet the Coalition Government announced this week that the support programme would be cancelled and be replaced with a guidance leaflet for the 2,500 communities facing pub closures each year.
Peter Couchman, Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation, speaking in response to the news, said: “This is devastating news for each community which had hoped to save their local as a co-operative. The Government has turned its back on communities who were looking to take more responsibility over their everyday lives. The scheme was based on bringing together the expertise in the co-operative movement which currently helps to save ten percent of all village shops facing closure.”
The summit, called by the Plunkett Foundation, will bring together representatives from across the co-operative sector to discuss how communities can be supported to set up and run co-operative pubs following the announcement that also threatens the £7m of loan finance pledged by the co-operative movement.
Peter continued: “While we appreciate that an important driver for the government is reducing the deficit, we can’t leave these people stranded by this decision and we are determined to help if we can. The summit will look at how the expertise and resources from the co-operative movement can save some elements of the scheme without the Government. We don’t know how, but we are determined to try.”
Peter added: “Communities owning and running their local pub has been used by the Prime Minister constantly as an example of the Big Society at its best. If communities are to take control of the problems they face then they are going to need help and advice to stop them having to reinvent wheels. Promised legislation for a Community Right to Buy is very welcome but without proper support it will be a Community Right to Fail.”
For any press and media enquires, please contact Elizabeth of Mar on elizabethofmarpr@yahoo.co.uk or 07870 276375.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The Plunkett Foundation (http://www.plunkett.co.uk/) helps rural communities, through co-operative-ownership, to take control of the issues important to them. It supports the network of 247 community-owned village shops across the UK and has supported a wide range of co-operatively-owned rural services. Plunkett also supports a wide variety of community food and farming enterprises.
T: 01993 810730 | E: info@plunkett.co.uk | www.plunkett.co.uk