Reading Liberal Democrats

Cllr Gareth Epps has vowed to fight attempts to permanently close successful community pubs in Reading after talking to publicans and customers about Enterprise Inns’ forced closure of the Jolly Anglers pub in Newtown – the latest ‘local’ to suddenly close.

Gareth visited publican John Westendorp on Tuesday evening (16 June) after news broke that he been given less than one day’s notice to close the pub, after Enterprise representatives suddenly announced that the pub had been sold to developers (although it does not have permission for a change of use to stop being a pub). He joined customers savouring what they feared may be the last night of the pub. He spoke to two customers who told him they had submitted serious offers to Enterprise Inns to keep the pub open – which were treated dismissively by the giant pubco. Garethalso reassured residents that there would be widespread political support for a campaign to save the pub. He has also, as a member of Reading CAMRA, discussed the closure with CAMRA officers.

The Anglers’ closure follows mounting concern at the way pub companies have sold and closed often successful pubs which host community events and provide valuable local services. The sudden closure of the Claddagh Ring on Elgar Road (now reopened) in the winter is one local example of an Enterprise Inns pub; other pubs currently boarded up include the County Arms on Watlington Street, the Whitley Tavern and the Red Cow in Caversham.

Among the ‘pubcos’, the giant Enterprise Inns has a particular notoriety in the pub trade for selling pubs with restrictive covenants forbidding their future use as a pub – even when there is no other pub in the area. Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland who chairs the ‘Save the Pub’ campaign has suggested that Enterprise’s business is founded on a mountain of debt – an unsustainable business model which rips the heart out of local community pubs in particular.

The Business & Enterprise Select Committee published in May 2009 a report, agreed unanimously by MPs of all three parties, which was highly critical of the business practices of the largest pubcos in particular and called for swift Government action on the issue.

Commenting on the closure, Gareth said:-
“This pub has been turned in just three months into a thriving community facility that is popular and much-loved. Enterprise Inns – notorious for their destruction of community pubs across the UK – have given this successful publican just a few hours’ notice to shut. It is outrageous treatment ofJohn and the Newtown community he serves.

“If Enterprise think or claim that they can gain planning permission for the closure of this pub, they can think again. They cannot shut successful community pubs at a whim. Corporate bullies such as Enterprise Inns are increasingly going to find that communities fight back in a united and positive way. Newtown will not allow ‘Time’ to be called on the Anglers.

“This local example highlights a set of wider issues that require action from local and national Government. It is time that good community pubs were cherished, before they are gone forever.”

The latest results from the local and European elections.

Nick Clegg visited Bristol to congratulate council leaderBarbara Janke and the local Liberal Democrats European elections results from across the UK.
Fiona Hall has been re-elected as an MEP for North East England.

Andrew Duff has been re-elected as an MEP for the East of England.

Diana Wallis has been re-elected as an MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber.

Sarah Ludford has been re-elected as an MEP for London.

Bill Newton Dunn has been re-elected as an MEP for the East Midlands. (With the number of MEPs in the region reducing by one, this was a gain from UKIP)

Graham Watson has been re-elected as an MEP for the South West of England.

Sharon Bowles has been re-elected as an MEP for the South East of England and is joined by new MEP Catherine Bearder.

Liz Lynne has been re-elected as an MEP for the West Midlands.

Chris Davies has been re-elected as an MEP for the North West of England.

George Lyon has been elected as an MEP for Scotland.

In the local elections, the Liberal Democrats have taken control of Bristol City Council, picking up four seats. Labour fell into third place on the Council, losing eight seats.

We have taken five seats from Labour in the Burnley area of Lancashire County Council, and three seats from the Conservatives and one from Labour on Essex County Council.

Liberal Democrat candidates have defeated the Conservative group leader on Cumbria County Council and the Labour council leader on Nottinghamshire County Council. We cut the majority of the Labour leader on Derbyshire County Council from around 1,000 to 76.

The Liberal Democrats are the largest group on the new unitary Bedford Council and made big gains from Labour in Ashfield.

While Labour and the Conservatives saw their number of seats on Surrey County Council fall, the Liberal Democrats were the only of the main parties to increase their number of seats. We also made net gains – from the Conservatives and Labour – in many other counties, including Cumbria, Dorset, East Sussex, Hertfordshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Sussex and Worcestershire.

The BBC’s projected national vote share is Conservatives 38%, Liberal Democrats 28%, Labour 23% – the Liberal Democrats are the only of the three to increase their projected share from last year’s local elections.

Responding to the early results and the Cabinet reshuffle, Nick Clegg described the government as “finished” and called for a general election. He said, “The Labour government has run out of road, it’s finished. We need something new, different, fresh.”

“This government can no longer govern. It is dysfunctional, it is in meltdown. We need a general election.”

Nick went on to applaud the Liberal Democrats in Bristol, saying that now “the Liberal Democrats run the vast majority of the big cities.”

Editor’s Notes…
Particular congratulations are extended to our local MEPs Sharon Bowles and Catherine Bearder