Marcus Jones, the Member of Parliament for Nuneaton, recently spoke during a parliamentary debate to support community pubs.

The debate in the House of Commons called for better treatment of pub tenants by the pub owning companies, and legislation to stop sharp practice by pub companies if they don’t get their house in order.

Marcus believes that a number of voluntary measures now being taken up by the pub companies are significant, including a new industry framework code, will help the pub trade.

However, Marcus acknowledged that significant changes have taken place that have hit the industry over recent years and warned Ministers that in addition to the relationship between the tenant and pub co - there were issues of wider significance affecting the community pub which also needed to be addressed.

Commenting on the issue, Marcus said: “The pub industry has suffered greatly over the past decade and at one point during the last Government 6 pubs a day were closing.

“We are still seeing local pubs close, with the Hayrick in Meadowside closing again just after Christmas.

“Losing the local in many communities takes away a central hub and heart of that community. The pub industry has had to contend with the smoking ban, increased regulation on alcohol sales, beer duty rising by 35% over the last four years alone, not to mention, below-cost selling at supermarkets becoming more prevalent and, to top all that, we have suffered the deepest and longest recession since the 1930s.

“I believe that voluntary measures to help relations between pub co and Landlord are positive and I welcome them. That is why I fully support a review of these arrangements over direct, immediate regulation.

“That does not detract from the fact that there is this aggregation of issues affecting our pubs, which I believe that Government needs to look to address alongside the issues around the pub co.”