Petition Legislate to prevent breweries' strangle hold over beer prices in tied pubs.

Rural pubs are closing at an alarming rate, often leaving communities with no focal meeting point. While the price of alcoholic beverages remains surprisingly low in supermarkets, equivalent products in public houses are now inhibitively expensive. This is forcing down sales volumes. The situation for tied pubs is magnified by the non-competitive rates at which they are forced to purchase beers/ales. Legislation to prevent breweries from instating punitive rates upon their tenants would allow pubs to compete fairly. It would likewise enable these premises to supply beers at a more affordable rate, and go some way to drawing the community back to these valuable meeting places.