Statement by the Pub Governing Body (PGB) England and Wales and supported by the Scottish Pub Governing Body

The Tied Pubs (Scotland) Bill was passed into law on March 23. The Bill could take up to two years to move through the transition period and the Pub Governing Body Scotland are keen to point out that their services will remain in place during this time to help and support both tenants and their landlords, the pub owning companies.

The Bill gives about 700 Scottish tied pubs similar rights to those in England and Wales. It will also lead to the publication of a statutory Scottish Pubs Code and the appointment of a Pubs Code Adjudicator to enforce the rules.

The Pub Governing Body Scotland is the organisation responsible for promoting the advancement and improvement of landlord (pub-owning companies) and tied tenant relationships in the Scottish licensed retail sector. The Code covers all the tied pubs in Scotland owned by Admiral Taverns, Greene King/Belhaven, Hawthorn, Trust Inns, Punch and Star Pubs and Bars.

It achieves this through the publication of Codes of Practice which set the minimum standard for landlords to help enhance their business relationship with tenants and lessees, subject to a contractual purchasing obligation. The mission is to foster the highest standards in landlord-tenant partnerships via easy-to-access arbitration services.

These services include the Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme (PIRRS) and PICAS (Pubs Independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service) which offer an accessible, independent, low-cost rent review resolution service for pub tenants and lessees.

PICAS is available to tied tenants in Scotland if their landlord company is a signatory of the voluntary Code of Practice for Scottish pubs.

Jo Graham, chair of the Pub Governing Body Scotland said: “It is vital that during the bills transition period, that our services continue to provide the opportunity for both landlords and tenants to resolve any disagreements in a reasonable and appropriate manner.

“The Pub Governing Body Scotland, through PIRRS (Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme) and PICAS (Pubs Independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service), will continue to run throughout this period, helping both pub-owning groups and their tenants resolve any disputes.”

Back To List