Farron urges Government to protect pubs in Cumbria

During a visit to the annual Grasmere Guzzler beer festival on Saturday, South Lakes MP Tim Farron called on the Government to protect local pubs in Cumbria.

The South Lakes MP will table an early day motion in the House of Commons today which will call the Government to commit to not increasing beer duty for the life of this Parliament, and to give business rate relief for pubs in more remote areas to encourage landlords to have confidence in their medium-term planning.

The pub industry in the South Lakes is currently worth around £30million to the local economy with around 3,000 jobs dependent on it thriving.

The latest statistics show that on average 21 pubs in the UK close every week.

Speaking at the Grasmere Guzzler festival, Tim said: "Pubs are at the heart of so many of our communities, particularly in rural areas like Grasmere. It's vital that we do all we can to try and halt this alarming trend of pubs calling time for good."