More than a grand gesture

I was impressed with the story this week that pubco giant, Punch Taverns is to offer all of their tenants a say on their new code of practice for tenancy agreements. It has already been accredited in principle by the BII but Punch is giving tenants the chance to provide feedback and comment on the 63-page document.

The chances are that most busy licensees won't have chance to go over the document thoroughly but it's good that they have at least been given the chance. I hope that this is more than just another PR gesture but they have promised to consider all feedback before finalising anything.

Of course, the smaller family-owned brewers and pub owning businesses have been running their own version of consultation for years. For them it means talking to their licensees on a regular basis, visiting their pubs and knowing them all by name, something that has gone by the wayside with the large national pubcos.

Let's hope that these codes of practice are workable and not too daunting for new entrants to the trade. 63-pages seems like the perfect antidote for insomnia!