Farron launches "Save our Pubs" campaign at local beer festival on Friday

South Lakes MP Tim Farron will launch a campaign to save local pubs at the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Westmorland Beer and Cider Festival this week.

Tim, a member of CAMRA, will be at the event this Friday to support CAMRA as they encourage more people to try real ale, and to encourage the pub trade.

The 18th Westmorland Beer Festival will be taking place at the Assembly Room in theKendalTown Hallfrom Wednesday 12th to Saturday 15th October. Approximately 55 real ales from across the country will be available to sample.

The event will also help raise awareness of the campaign, supported by CAMRA and Tim Farron, against the exploitative behaviour of large pub companies. A recent report made by the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee on Pub Companies recognised the 'the deep-seated problems which lie at the heart of the industry' and demanded the creation of a new Statutory Code of Practice to ensure pub companies stick to the rules.

Tim has long campaigned for Pub Companies to be brought to book for sometimes treating hard working publicans in an unfair way. He believes that many of the local pub closures in our area are due to the pub companies abusing their power. Tim is now calling on the Government to agree with the BIS Select Committees findings and take action.

Tim said: "It is important that we save our local pubs. If the rules CAMRA are suggesting aren't put into place, more small businesses will be damaged and we will be faced by even more pub closures. We must also support small brewers who, due to the current system, are struggling to get their beers into local pubs.

"I look forward to meeting the passionate CAMRA volunteers who will be running the event this week in Kendal.

"Most local pub closures happen because big pub companies have been overcharging their tenants and preventing them shopping around to get fairer and better quality deals. This is an abuse of the market place and it must stop. The Select Committee has now backed our campaign, and its time the Government followed suit."