The Live Wire



Press Release

Ed Davey has been taken for gullible fool as Punch man is appointed to chair "independent" pub disputes panel

31 January 2012

Bias is so blatant that appointing Rodger Vickers is the equivalent of the FA appointing Sir Alex Ferguson to referee a game between Manchester United and Liverpool says GMB

GMB, the union for pub tied tenants, commented on the news that Rodger Vickers from Punch Taverns will chair the newly-formed Pub Independent Conciliation Advisory Service (PICAS) deal with disputes about matters other than rents between pubcos and tenants.

Paul Maloney, GMB national officer for pub tenants said “Ed Davey has been taken for a gullible fool by the pub industry. Appointing Rodger Vickers is the equivalent of the FA appointing Sir Alex Ferguson to referee a game between Manchester United and Liverpool. The bias is that blatant.

Vickers is part of BBPA to his last sinew so GMB members can expect him to press the cases of the pubcos. Even today he is in the pub of a GMB member pressing the case for a 60% rent increase in the middle of a recession.

This new PICAS, which we are told will be up and running at the end of February, is part of the self-regulation deal between the British Beer & Pub Association and the Government in the wake of the Business, Innovation & Skills Committee (BISC) report which Ed Davey signed off.

PICAS will operate alongside another toothless bodyPIRRS (Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme) where Vickers has also been an advisor since 2009. PICAS remit is disputes other than rents and will have the same dismal record as PIRRS. MPs on BIS Select Committee need to probe why Ed Davey has proved such a soft touch.

The underlying issue not being tackled at all is sky high rent that have pushed the price of a pint £1 above the level justified by inflation and changes in taxation. This has priced pubs out of the market. This additional revenue ends up offshore paying pubco bondholders in tax havens.

BBPA, which justifies this rip off culture, has the bare faced cheek to launch a campaign for tax breaks as its members blatantly shovel money offshore into tax havens”.



Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.

GMB

GMB

More from Dods

© Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd