Ian Liddell-Grainger has informed some of his constituents that he will not be in Parliament today, to vote on the NHS Bill, that would scrap David Cameron’s market framework for the NHS and make sure local NHS patients are always put first.
On Tuesday, Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset Constituency, was absent from Parliament and did not vote on a new cross-party clause to the Small Business Bill, which offered new protections for local publicans against the predatory practices of large pub owning companies (known as pubcos) and opposing plans to give local pubs and landlords a fairer deal.
Following a report into the industry by the cross-party BIS Select Committee in 2010, Labour have campaigned alongside a broad coalition of groups in the industry – including the Federation of Small Businesses, the Forum of Private Business, CAMRA, FairPint and the GMB and UNITE trade unions – to call for greater protection for local pubs and put a stop to unfair treatment and restrictive practices by pubcos.
The government’s provisions to regulate pubcos in the Small Business Bill, debated in Parliament this week, but these fell some way short of Labour’s plans and campaigners’ demands. Labour therefore supported a cross-party clause to strengthen the Bill.
Labour candidate will support local pubs
Cllr Mick Lerry said: “27 pubs close every week and 57% of landlords who are tied to a large pubco earn less than £10,000 a year. Recently we have seen several pubs close in Bridgwater. These are scandals, which must be addressed, so I was proud that Labour MPs voted to make this important change. If elected in May, people in Bridgwater and West Somerset can be assured that I will always support local pubs with deeds as well as words.”
Toby Perkins MP, Labour’s Shadow Pubs Minister said:“Labour has led calls for a proper statutory code with teeth on pub companies, giving tenants the protection they need and putting an end to the unfair treatment they’ve received from large pub companies. Our plans have won support from a broad coalition of campaigners including CAMRA, the Federation of Small Business, trade unions and the cross party BIS Select Committee.
“Over the past three years ministers have been dragged kicking and screaming every step of the way on this issue, and now they have been dealt a resounding and humiliating defeat in the House of Commons. Ministers must now act immediately to ensure there is a proper statutory code with a free-of-tie option to protect local pubs, and must not ignore the will of the House of Commons, after their desperate and shambolic attempts to stave off defeat have failed.”
21st November 2014
Cllr Mick Lerry-Leader of the labour Group on Sedgemoor District Council
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset Constituency
Email: michael.lerry@btinternet.com
Mobile: 07775
905080
Hear, hear – great work. The sooner we show this tory-led government/shambles the door, the better. ILG is useless as an MP as he does not represent the majority of the electorate here that didn’t vote for him. Is it a coincidence, I wonder, that since the tories grabbed power on the backs of the fib-dems, he has not appeared at Watchet carnival to present the prizes – running scared or what ?
Great work Mick, strength to your elbow, the local still has the job of uniting a community, we have lost far too many in the last few years which proves the current coalition has little interest in supporting small businesses despite their PR.Re; Ian L-G ABSOLUTE ABSENT LANDLORD FOR BRIDGWATER ON ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES, THE NHS, FACING THE ELECTORATE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS! But then it seems the entire coalition was ordered not to vote today! What a circus!