Tim Farron Election 2017

isolated and alone for lack of support? Or do they want to do

something different? Business rate issues particularly

impacting, independent once, but I'm interested to hear from you, not me

tell you what your problems are and we will see what we can do about

them. We have a few different pub landlords here. And the local

businesses from George Street and the local area. We have a pub up the

road, our value has gone from 23,002 103. A other pubs around, for

example the Six Bells have had an increase. The impact will come in

about five years. But we need to address it now. You have been

dealing with this quite a bit locally. The campaign has been led

by these guys. I have got in touch with Sean and heard about how huge

the rates were altered by it worked with some of our local Lib Dem

councillors to table a motion at the District Council which got

cross-party support to look at how the council could use it

dispensation scheme to help the pubs and small businesses worst affected.

And all our policy is made by party members and we tried to get a motion

forward at the conference to say that our national policy, part of

our manifesto now, is that we are going to conduct the review and we

actually have Vince Cable looking at how we might review the business

rate system and the form it is in because it is unfit for purpose. So

many of you are suffering a big hit and we know that the Amazon

warehouse across the country are going down. It is pretty shocking

and we know that small businesses around here make the city what it

is. It is my opportunity to hear from you about how hard it is

hitting and what you think about the dispensation scheme put in place. I

thought it was a tiny measure. And probably won't have much impact but

we want to hear from you. I think the concern is that there is a real

unfairness, and that pubs in particular but small and independent

businesses are hit by it. It is almost going to do the review that

was targeted at making sure most damage was done to the smaller

businesses and most good was done to those who had the most already,

particularly those multinational outfits, and this is what you come

up with. Without wanting to be cynical as to the motives, it is

something we have to fight against, we understand the need for taxation

but it should be fair and should put people off a growing industry, the

growth in the brewing industry and the diversity of it is amazing. The

independence of pubs makes a city like St Albans what it is. I have

family here, a beautiful place and one of the things that makes it so

attractive is all of the pubs and independent and a great character

and beers and to put that at risk is unpardonable. We will do what we can

to prevent it. Adam is here and he runs a pub. He has had a very big

work on the rates. We have gone up 100%. We have two pubs and overall

we have seen an increase in our business rate of 30 1000. A squad

are young and ambitious company, 40 staff with two studs, it stagnate

our growth and investment. -- two sites. You know this is coming and

your planning and business accommodates that but the other

thing is new entrants into the thing is new entrants into the

industry who might think about a different option and that is a real

worry. The biggest worry we have as independent landlords can even as

part of a brewery, is to keep our independent and so the issue we have

is that we don't have 40 sites we can spread the cost over because a

lot of the increases are geographical. I know Wetherspoon 's

had a big hit, about 7 million overall, but if you break it down to

each one is about 8000. So when you break it down it is more affordable.

But the thing is, you can't average out across the country when it is

just you. Does anybody have any questions? We have been campaigning

for the last few years and I have a small shop. One of the things we are

astonished about with the last business rates review that the

Tories introduced was for very small shops they would pay no rate. We

have the strange situation in our road where some of us are paying

?70,000 a year, the pubs and the small businesses are paying about

15000 and others are paying nothing so there is this huge disparity. It

is almost an incentive for me to downsize and get rid of staff and

equipment and go into a small unit. It defeats the whole object of the

economy. And it is a sticking plaster, it is an admission that the

system is wrong and unfair and so it you happen to be a small business

that gets that dispensation and that exemption, good for you, but if you

are just above that drop zone, more and more pressure goes on you and

the government would only do that, ignoring the party politics, if they

were admitting it was unfair. As the exemptions grow in size, the weight

on the new bottom becomes all the greater and it is a reminder that

the system is broken and you need to have a full review. We need to look

at other ways of taxing people which takes account of ability to pay it.

As a result of this, landlords are seeing almost a Goldline

opportunity, whether retail premises or the pub is then turned into ?1

million house and then we have less and less opportunities, less and

less jobs. You see this across the country,

particularly in places like this where the property value is high. In

some larger companies, you see a temptation to think, there is more

money to be made out of accommodation than out of running a

pub and you might, you know, put a manager in that and allow them to

fail, through no fault of their own, to demonstrate to a local authority,

not necessarily this one but wherever you might be, that this is

not a viable enterprise as a pub. Two or three crashed careers, shall

I say, and if you are tenants, far worse than that, there is your

evidence to the local authority that you need to give me planning

permission for some flats. Meanwhile, you have lost a wonderful

benefit the community anti-war three people have had their livelihoods

and reputations trashed. It's a tragedy, but sometimes I see it done

in quite a complex way and it's wrong. Anyone else got any

questions? Chris has the oldest pub in England. I think I have been in

there. Thank you book coming out today. Daisy has been a great help

with all the parties supporting the St Albans pubs. Essentially, we are

desperate for a quick resolution to this. Some of us will survive the

increases. It will hurt. But some of us won't. And that the larger

percentage to actually go straight to the fibre of our community and

every business in here has proved how we connect with the community of

St Albans Cathedral it's a city, we are small but we pack a punch. We

are trying to make this place look beautiful and it's just making it

harder. Speed is of the essence and it's something that we appreciate

all the support from all parties. Yes, and we get that message, wily

review needs to be done quickly before these new rates come into

effect. Even before the raids have started, people are moving away. It

is very urgent. We completely get that. One of the issues I think we

spoke about is that there wasn't any consultation either. It came out of

nowhere. Because of the major disparities, that hadn't been any

opportunity from your site to say, well, this is how it will impact of

the different ways. Yes, we need a speedy resolution but we also need

to stress tested both to make sure it's not going to make things worse,

whatever the solution is. We were pushing for a review many years ago,

the Tories scrapped that you, and now Vince Cable is conducting this

review of the business rates system. Whatever happens on Thursday, I am

committed to making sure we get your feedback and put it into our review

to help people like St Albans keep going. Any final questions whilst we

have the opportunity? The other thing we were going to also speak to

you about is with regards to the business rates, obviously fed all

burnt at a 27,000 per pub increase. What we would also really like is a

pause, so that whatever the rate will be, there will be a pause so

that we can do all we can. Whatever happens on Thursday happens and then

we will crack on with it. Starting again is very, very important. I

think the impact upon Saint all buttons as a city but on communities

around the country, there is a around the country, there is a

reason why those pubs are closing each year. I am certain this is part

of it. It's all about making choices. If you make a building more

lucrative for accommodation, for redevelopment than it would be

serving the community as a pub, then this is what is going to happen,

which is why you need a tax system that is fair and will lead to the

outcome is that you want, rather than accidental ones that you don't

want. It does appear to be more profit -based, and especially with a

pub, it is very poorly structured, though it look that overall takings

rather than profits. It would be better if it bit that it

specifically, particularly to the type pub as well. The other thing I

would say as well is from people I have been talking to a cross St

Albans, it will really have a harmful effect on pharmacies and

some of the charities up and down Saint Peters Street as well, and

some other sorts of businesses. George Street and Holly will hill, I

know they will have a big impact on them and we are almost entirely

independent it. There chain, they are independent. That is important

for us at a tourist area. We are all working for the city in partnership,

trying to get more people visiting our city and it all works together.

It all adds to the appeal of the city and what makes it a very

special place. Thank you very much. I would love you to poorer pint if

you would like to. It would be my great pleasure. I have done this for

a living in the past. But not with an order that widget for ahead.

My dad would kill me if you used a Northern widget. Can I ask a

question. How are you feeling? Believed to be in a pub. That hours

to go but I have to say I wait to be drinking a pint until at least ten

o'clock tomorrow. Thank you very much indeed everyone. Cheers, guys.

See you today. Right, let's go and do it.