THE PLUNKETT FOUNDATION CO-OPERATIVE PUBS REPORT 2014

That this House welcomes the growth of community-owned co-operatives owning and running pubs in the UK, highlighted in a new report by The Plunkett Foundation; recognises that co-operative pubs make a significant contribution to the well-being of rural and urban communities across the UK; further recognises that communities with the right support can save their local pubs as well as enable people to take action on a range of different issues; notes that with the changes taking place in the pub sector and the number of pubs being sold and closed by the large indebted pubcos, that co-operative pubs are becoming even more important as one way for communities to save pubs and an increasingly important business model; urges the Government to promote co-operative pubs as viable ways of saving pubs from closure; and calls on the Government to review the protection afforded to pubs in the planning system and commit to reducing the barriers for communities so that it is as easy to start a co-operative pub as any other form of business.