This motion will be submitted for debate at next Wednesday’s full meeting of Tower Hamlets council:
Protecting community pubs
Proposer: Cllr Amy Whitelock
Seconder: Cllr Denise Jones
This council notes:
- That in addition to the provision of its own services the Council should support through its policies and the exercise of its powers a network of well-run community facilities, including shops, pubs, advice centres, places of worship and other local forums and services which are valued by residents. As an example of these, community pubs provide a valuable community service for those who choose to use them.
- Twenty-six pubs close every week across the country. In Tower Hamlets many pubs have already been converted to flats or stand empty.
- Recently local pubs such as The Sun in Bethnal Green and the Britannia pub in Mile End have closed down, to the disappointment of local residents.
- Pubs inject an average of £80,000 into their local economy each year and support almost one million UK jobs, 46% of whom are 16 – 24 year olds.
- That whilst some pubs can have anti-social behaviour problems which the Council should challenge, the majority offer a positive contribution to our borough and are part of a balanced and inclusive community offering that helps to define the local quality of life.
This council further notes:
- The recently adopted Managing Development Document policy DM8 specifies that social and community facilities, such as public houses, will be protected where they meet an identified local need and the buildings are suitable for their use.
- That while conversion of pubs to residential use would be resisted as contrary to planning policy, this does not automatically mean such applications would be rejected.
- Residents often feel they have no opportunity to prevent their local pubs from being sold off or converted to flats.
- The demolition of pubs is classed as “permitted development” means planning permission is not required. Between 2003 and 2012, 414 former pubs were demolished in London alone.
This council believes:
- Local pubs are a hugely important community hub, bringing local people together and providing social inclusion opportunities.
- While pubs that cause antisocial behaviour should be subject to enforcement action, well managed community pubs should be protected by the council.
This council resolves:
- To work with residents to list local pubs as Assets of Community Value under the Localism Act, giving greater protection against pubs being sold off to developers.
- To support the Sustainable Communities Act proposal: “That the Secretary of State help protect community pubs in England by ensuring that planning permission and community consultation are required before community pubs are allowed to be converted to betting shops, supermarkets and pay-day loan stores or other uses, or are allowed to be demolished.”
To work together with Local Works and the Campaign for Real Ale to gain support for the proposal from other councils in the region and across the country.
Trial by Jeory 
As a Councillor in the Borough from 1994 to 2006. I lead a lone battle to save the Boroughs Pubs. With virtually no support. Now look what we have got left.
The Roman Rd Market area in Bow had seven Pubs, now there is just one. I despair people are just waking up to what is happening to our Heritage.
Ray Gipson.
It’s errant opportunism Ray. How many pubs closed during Labour’s reign of terror? How many communities did they destroy? Do I detect a race card, or at least a religious one?
Ray, I agree about the Roman and the borough generally but reality has to be faced. Drinking habits have changed, it is now very expensive to drink in pubs. The social and religious make up of the borough has changed also. Muslims don’t drink and the newer element don’t like the traditional pub and don’t feel comfortable in them.
A pub is a business not a community asset, it either makes a profit or it closes. The pub companies are constantly jacking up rents and the price of beer which the licensees cannot pass on as no one will pay those prices. I take exception to the very campaigners who want the pubs to remain but then either drink at home or in wine bars.
An example of how change is happening can be seen by taking a number 8 bus from near the re-opened Well and Bucket near the top of Brick Lane to the Albert at the start of the Roman market.
The former has been reopened by a small company spending a fortune refurbishing and which is packed evenings and weekends with a young city crowd and the latter keeps changing hands with a mostly elderly clientele. There you have it.
I attended the first ACV application to be heard since the Localism Act became law at Hackney Town Hall in respect of the Chesham Arms. The developer lost because there was a genuine community use.
That cannot be said for virtually any of the other pubs that have close anywhere and we have the farce of a closed pub near the Geffrey museum which the museum wanted to demolish be kept as a wreck deteriorating because a group of people many who didn’t live locally and admitted never used the pub when it was open blocking the demolition and museum extension.
It would be good to discuss this matter but of far more importance is the lack of law centres and CAB’s in the borough when legal aid is being cut. Unfortunately these issues aren’t trendy enough and it’s easier to be nostalgic about a pub some criminal drank in that someone who is being evicted because the council has screwed up their housing benefit.
I think the demise of pubs is very sad. Whilst I accept the point that unprofitable pubs cannot be artificially kept open, I do think efforts should be made to support profitable ones. Cases is in point: stop threatening to terminate the licenses of pubs when silly health and safety laws are slightly breached; e.g. People standing outside the Ten Bells just over a silly chalk line on the pavement on Friday night; the sorry case of the much loved Joiner’s Arms yet again having to defend its license against the police who want it to close early so they can clock off early; the few lap dancing venues and other risqué establishments like the White Swan or Nag’s Head being threatened for ideological reasons… Let’s embrace diversity and conserve and support what we’ve got
Pubs used to be, and ought to be, the heart of a community. The council goes on about ‘community cohesion’ and ‘one tower hamlets’ yet in September 2012, the mayor announced his intention to sell off a number of pubs owned by the council and tried to force others into closure by imposing more strict licensing conditions
Not entirely true.
As you can see, the council listened to the public as seen here. Cllrs Rabina Khan and Alibor Choudhury personally lobbied for this pub:
http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/petition_saves_limehouse_pub_from_council_sell_off_1_2216859
And the mayor can’t ‘impos[e] more strict licensing conditions’.
Under the Local Govt Act licensing is a quasi-judicial function and the purview of the Licensing Committee, controlled by the Labour opposition.
But don’t let the facts get in the way, eh?
Stewart Rayment. The last time I queried Shumi’s command of English I was censored so maybe this one won’t get through. I disagree with Ray Gipson as to why pubs close but I fail to see what you are talking about. Where is the opportunism let alone the racism?
Muslims don’t drink and I doubt very much if the white Labour councillors supporting this motion would drink in the kind of local pubs that are under discussion here.
How about some sensible comments for a change. You could for instance make a critique of my last detailed contribution, if you can.
Jay Kay.
Community cohesion is a buzz word that gets grants from central and local government and means as much as sustainable communities. The last implies that the community or communities in Tower Hamlets are, at the moment at least, unsustainable which is of course a nonsense. That doesn’t stop aspiring Labour politicians mouthing such slogans on their bullet point presentations when they are after council or Parliamentary nominations.
The pubs you mention were the Blue Anchor in Bromley High St, the Queen’s Head and The Ship both in York Sq Stepney and eventually they weren’t sold off. Lutfur Rahman was looking for assets to flog to plug the whole in the budget.
The mayor wanted to close the Ship and the White Swan because of his and his colleagues, homophobic views.
Mr Kay, please provide evidence of homophobia before making an accusation otherwise people might assume you think all Muslims are homophobic by default which would make you an Islamophobe.
Can you put links here please? we are all very interested, Besides homophobia is illegal and action needs to be taken if what you say is true. I’m sure you will understand if I prefer to see evidence before passing judgement without taking your word for it?
LOL @ criticizing mi kommannd ov inglish. Wen u fayl 2 provid valeed argumentt correct gramer. Have fun Madmullah!
The evidence for this is well documented and readily available.
I am sure that entered into the equation Jay Kay but he is also short of money which is why Flo is finally being sold.
I rest my case Shumi.
Yu hav bery, bery goot inglish madmullah but mebbe yu donnot undershtanding sarkazm so well? I no ispeak porparly like yu so mebbe that why I’m not hav big head??
Hi Mad Mullah
I think it is opportunism on behalf of Labour because they’ve had plenty of time to raise the issue when in control of the borough and probably relates more to coming elections than any sincere belief in the cause. Their decisions over the years probably contributed to the demise. I think it may be racist because they know most Moslems don’t drink alcohol, and as such it might be a potentially embarrasing question for Islamic Labour to answer.
You are right about the reasons why pubs are closing alas, and also about the lack of law centres and CABs.
Sarcasm, Shumi, was always described as the lowest form of wit. I would also refer you to the great Mark Twain when he said it was best to say nothing and be thought stupid than to speak and confirm the fact.