Agenda item

This Council notes with concern that local community pubs are closing at an alarming rate as high as 28 per week nationally and further notes the closure of once popular pubs throughout Leeds over recent years.

This Council believes that if additional powers were made available to local authorities much needed community involvement and consultation could be secured when proposals are brought forward to close or demolish community pubs/working men’s clubs in Leeds, in line with the recent moves by Government to encourage localism and devolve power to local authorities. This would be especially important when there are proposals to convert them to alternative uses such as betting shops and pay day lenders.

Council recognises that commercial viability should play a part in the process but, subject to that qualification, Leeds City Council resolves to add its support to the CAMRA campaign and use the Sustainable Communities Act to submit a proposal to Government to ensure that planning permission and consultation are required before community pubs are allowed to be converted to a variety of other uses, or are allowed to be demolished.

This Council welcomes the Government support given to the pub industry through measures to crack down on ‘beer tie’ arrangements, the scrapping of the alcohol duty escalator and a reduction in beer duty in the last two budgets.

It was moved by Councillor A Carter, seconded by Councillor Campbell that this Council notes with concern that local community pubs are closing at an alarming rate as high as 28 per week nationally and further notes the closure of once popular pubs throughout Leeds over recent years.

This Council believes that if additional powers were made available to local authorities much needed community involvement and consultation could be secured when proposals are brought forward to close or demolish community pubs/working men’s clubs in Leeds, in line with the recent moves by Government to encourage localism and devolve power to local authorities. This would be especially important when there are proposals to convert them to alternative uses such as betting shops and pay day lenders.

Council recognises that commercial viability should play a part in the process but, subject to that qualification, Leeds City Council resolves to add its support to the CAMRA campaign and use the Sustainable Communities Act to submit a proposal to Government to ensure that planning permission and consultation are required before community pubs are allowed to be converted to a variety of other uses, or are allowed to be demolished.

This Council welcomes the Government support given to the pub industry through measures to crack down on ‘beer tie’ arrangements, the scrapping of the alcohol duty escalator and a reduction in beer duty in the last two budgets.

An amendment was moved by Councillor R Lewis, seconded by Councillor Walshaw

This Council notes with concern that local community pubs are closing at an alarming rate as high as 28 per week nationally and further notes the closure of once popular pubs throughout Leeds over recent years.

This Council believes that if additional powers were made available to local authorities much needed community involvement and consultation could be secured when proposals are brought forward to close or demolish community pubs/working men’s clubs in Leeds.

Delete all after and replace with:

This is of particular concern when there are proposals to convert them to alternative uses such as betting shops and pay day lenders.

This Council supports retention of local community pubs and work to support pubs through business support, community campaigns and town centre regeneration activity.

Where local community pubs are no longer commercially viable, this Council supports actions and investment secure redevelopment or re-use of former pub buildings that supports regeneration.

This Council supports local control of decision making and urges the Government to give more power to local authorities to amend The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987. This would enable Councils to prevent the clustering of betting shops and payday lenders and to support community pubs where commercial viability is shown.

Council calls on all party leaders to make these resolutions clear to their national parties.

The amendment in the name of Councillor R Lewis was carried and upon being put to the vote, it was

RESOLVED - That this Council notes with concern that local community pubs are closing at an alarming rate as high as 28 per week nationally and further notes the closure of once popular pubs throughout Leeds over recent years.

This Council believes that if additional powers were made available to local authorities much needed community involvement and consultation could be secured when proposals are brought forward to close or demolish community pubs/working men’s clubs in Leeds.

This is of particular concern when there are proposals to convert them to alternative uses such as betting shops and pay day lenders.

This Council supports retention of local community pubs and work to support pubs through business support, community campaigns and town centre regeneration activity.

Where local community pubs are no longer commercially viable, this Council supports actions and investment secure redevelopment or re-use of former pub buildings that supports regeneration.

This Council supports local control of decision making and urges the Government to give more power to local authorities to amend The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987. This would enable Councils to prevent the clustering of betting shops and payday lenders and to support community pubs where commercial viability is shown.

Council calls on all party leaders to make these resolutions clear to their national parties.

YES - 60

Akhtar, Blake, Bruce, Charlwood, Coulson, Coupar, Cummins, Davey, Dawson, Dobson, Dowson, Dunn, Gabriel,  P Grahame, R Grahame, C Gruen, P Gruen, Groves, Hamilton, Hanley, Harington, Harland, Harper, A Hussain, G Hussain, G Hyde, Illingworth, Ingham, Iqbal, Jarosz, A Khan, J Lewis, R Lewis, Lowe, Lyons, Macniven, A McKenna, J McKenna, S McKenna, Mitchell, Morgan, Mulherin, Nagle, Nash, Ogilvie, Pryor, Renshaw, Ritchie, Selby, Smart, Sobel, E Taylor, Towler, Truswell, Urry, Venner, Walker, Walshaw, Wakefield and Yeadon. 

NO - 8

J Bentley, S Bentley, Campbell, Cleasby, Downes, Golton, Lay and Varley,  

ABSTAIN - 21

Anderson, A Blackburn, D Blackburn, Buckley, A Carter, Castle, Cohen, Collins, Flynn, Harrand, Lamb, G Latty, P Latty, Maqsood, J Procter, Rafique, Robinson, Wadsworth, Wilford, Wilkinson and Wood