A prospective parliamentary candidate for south Shropshire is calling on local authorities to give financial help to village pubs struggling to cope with a downturn in trade caused by the recession.
Licensees across the county are struggling to survive against cut-price alcohol being sold at supermarkets and cheap-drink promotions operated by national pub chains.
Heather Kidd, Liberal Democrat candidate for Ludlow which covers Bridgnorth and the surrounding area, said some form of grant aid was essential to ease the financial strains facing village landlords.
She said: “Local pubs are important centres in many communities and are often the only service left in a village. They have been under intense pressure during the past 18 months, from both supermarkets and the recession, and are finding it difficult to raise money as many banks are refusing to give credit to the licensing trade.”
Mrs Kidd called on Shropshire Council to introduce a small capital grants scheme mirroring the aid South Shropshire District Council offered village shops.
She also claimed that the government could sanction additional relief from non-domestic business rates or consider varying the tax levied between licensed premises and supermarkets or at least introduce a minimum price for alcohol sold in High Street stores.
“One publican I know told a colleague he was waiting to see how trade fared this autumn before deciding whether to call time on his business for good.
“Small injections of cash can go a long way to support these businesses. A licensee near to where I live has an old building which requires some work. A form of small grant aid would be most welcome,” added Mrs Kidd, a Shropshire councillor.
She has highlighted the problem pubs with the National Panel of the Local Government Association.
“The LGA has considerable clout with both local councils and Westminster and this is a good way of pushing it up the agenda,” she said.
