FREE Swan Supping Issue 94 Feb/Mar 2013 COVER STORY Aylesbury Vale & Wycombe CAMRA at the Mother of all Parliaments! See centre pages Newsletter of the Aylesbury Vale & Wycombe Branch of CAMRA www.swansupping.org.uk Circulation 6000 Swan Supping The Hub Aston Clinton London Road Aston Clinton Bucks HP22 5HL T: 07795 818787 www.thehubastonclinton.co.uk Thursday Quiz Night Held on the 1st Thursday of every month 7.30pm - 10.00pm. £5.50 per person, includes quiz entry and a curry supper. Tables must be booked in advance. 1st, 2nd and 3rd Prizes Call us on 07795 818787 to book now! to be won Mon - Fri Wine Offer 5pm - 7pm at the bar Buy two large glasses of wine All draught beers & get the rest of £2.50 a pint the bottle FREE! Wine offer available all week (on wines sold by the glass only) Traditional English Cooked Breakfast for £5.95 Served every Saturday & Sunday 9.00am - 12 noon All produce sourced from local suppliers KIDS EAT FREE great in the restaurant warm family valu atmosphere MONDAY - FRIDAY 3.30pm - 6.30pm e! A free child’s one course meal per adult purchasing a main course or more. Drinks not included. For private bookings or general enquiries call us on 07795 818787 Swan Supping The Hub Aston Clinton London Road NEWS FROM THE EDITOR Aston Clinton Bucks HP22 5HL Beer Tax Escalator need to continue sending the message and eventually the economic sense In December last year, CAMRA organised of our cause will prevail. It will take time, as shown by CAMRA’s lobbying T: 07795 818787 a lobby of Parliament to protest against about pub companies finally getting results as shown below. www.thehubastonclinton.co.uk the punitive tax applied to our favourite tipple. Around 1,200 CAMRA members Pub of the Year rallied to the cause and went up to London Last issue, a request was made for your suggestions for Local Pub of the to make their feelings known, talking Year. Despite a frankly very disappointing response, we have taken note directly to their local MPs. of the suggestions and decided on the following pubs for the final vote: Belle Vue, High Wycombe, George & Dragon, Quainton, Kings Head, Thursday Quiz Night Our branch was well represented in this Aylesbury, Royal Standard of England, Forty Green, and the Swan, Great lobby and a few of us can be seen in the Kimble. If you have not already had your say, please get your votes to us front cover photograph which was taken at Swan Supping by Friday 22nd of February (contact details are on page Held on the 1st Thursday of every month by our branch chairman, Alex Wright. 22) and the announcement of the winner will be made at the branch AGM. 7.30pm - 10.00pm. The lobby was well organised by Jackie Branch AGM Parker, who was our Regional Organiser before progressing to the The Annual General Meeting of the Aylesbury Vale & Wycombe Branch £5.50 per person, includes quiz entry and a curry supper. National Executive of CAMRA. We all met up at the Emmanuel Centre in of CAMRA will be held at the Kings Head, Aylesbury, on Monday 25th Westminster to register, then headed off to either book an appointment with of February starting at 8pm. It is important that as many local CAMRA Tables must be booked in advance. 1st, 2nd and 3rd Prizes the local MP or, as in my case, head off to a prearranged one. members as possible come along as this is a great opportunity to have your Call us on 07795 818787 to book now! to be won As there were so many people heading to the lobby it meant that the queue say about how the branch is doing, whether or not we are heading in the to get through security was quite long and it took over half an hour before best direction and anything else pertinent to furthering our campaign to the staff could make sure that we hadn’t tried to emulate a certain person preserve traditional beer in traditional pubs. who gets ceremonially burned every November the 5th. Alex Wright and We always try to make the AGM as interesting as possible, although we do myself met with Tom Harlow, a member of staff from our local MP (David have to battle through some official business, with plenty of humour and, Mon - Fri Lidington) who was unable to meet us in person (he’s a very busy man). of course, plenty of opportunities to have a drink. There will be a buffet Wine Offer However, we managed to get our views across and we were contacted by which we pay for by holding a bottle raffle and all contributions of bottles 5pm - 7pm at the bar David Lidington who passed on our views to the Treasury. Subsequent that we can use in the raffle will be appreciated. The Kings Head is close Buy two large emails, however, show that the priorities of the Government and the Treasury to both the bus station and the railway station, so there is no need to drink glasses of wine are to reduce the deficit and they only see the contribution made by the and drive if you want to join in. All draught beers money raised. A serious change is required before the social and monetary Thanks once again to all the people who have given their free time to & get the rest of cost of the pub closures caused by the duty are properly considered! contribute to the production and circulation of Swan Supping and many A series of MPs gave their views to the members on the lobby and all were thanks once again to Colin Stanford for the very appropriate cartoon. £2.50 a pint the bottle FREE! on our side, reflecting the depth of support we have within Parliament. We Cheers! David W. Roe - Swan Supping Editor Wine offer available all week (on wines sold by the glass only) NATIONAL CAMRA NEWS Relief for Pubco pubs? than free-of-tie publicans. Research shows that The Government has announced action on unfair 46% of tied publicans earn less than £15,000 Traditional English Cooked large pub company leases to safeguard the future per year in contrast to 22% of free-of-tie of many thousands of community pubs. This publicans. Guest beer and free-of-tie options announcement is the culmination of years of offered by pub companies with more than 500 campaigning by CAMRA and over 7600 people pubs, long advocated by CAMRA, would be a Breakfast for £5.95 straightforward means of levelling up the playing have lobbied their MP in the past year alone. field.’ Served every Saturday & Sunday Supporting CAMRA’s campaign, Business Struggling pub landlords were promised help Secretary Vince Cable said: with Business Secretary Vince Cable announcing 9.00am - 12 noon ‘There is some real hardship in the pubs sector, plans for an independent Adjudicator to address All produce sourced from local suppliers with many pubs going to the wall as publicans unfair practices in the industry. struggle to survive on tiny margins. Some of As well as the new Adjudicator Dr Cable also this is due to pubcos exploiting and squeezing wants to establish a new statutory Code to look their publicans by unfair practices and a focus at the relationship between large pub companies on short-term profits. Four Select Committee and publicans, which will be enforced by the reviews since 2004 have highlighted these Adjudicator. This new Code will ensure fair problems.... A change in the law is now needed practices for a number of issues including rents A Date For Your Diary to shift behaviour.’ and the prices publicans pay for beer. It would Community Pubs Month - Coming This April also have the power to investigate and deal with To find out more visit KIDS EAT FREE CAMRA Chief Executive, Mike Benner said: communitypubsmonth.org.uk great ‘Over 3,500 tied public houses have been lost disputes between pub companies and publicans, warm family in the restaurant since the start of 2009. Many of these will have and in some cases have the power to fine. Community Pubs Month been lost as a result of excessive rents and by In particular, the proposed Code would prevent Running throughout April 2013, the aims of this valu being forced to buy beer at up to 50% above abuses of the beer tie, which oblige publicans to campaign are to encourage pubs to organise and atmosphere MONDAY - FRIDAY 3.30pm - 6.30pm e! market rates. The proposal for a ‘fair dealing’ sell particular types of beer. It would enshrine the market a number of events in April which will provision will allow publicans tied to large pub fundamental principle that ‘a tied licensee should hopefully result in more trade. companies to challenge these high prices which be no worse off than a free-of-tie-licensee’ which A free child’s one course meal per adult purchasing a main course or more. Drinks not included. Community Pubs Month kicks starts a year’s means fewer valued pubs will be forced to close will ensure a level playing field is maintained in activity to help support CAMRA’s Key Campaign their doors.’ the pub sector. For private bookings or general enquiries call us on 07795 818787 of ‘Raising the profile of pub-going and increase ‘CAMRA fully endorses the Government’s wish The formal consultation on these proposed the number of people using pubs regularly.’ See to ensure that tied publicans are no worse off measures will be launched in the spring.