At any one time, CAMRA nationally will be conducting major campaigns aimed at securing the long-term future of real ale and cider, promoting and protecting pubs and clubs and getting the best deal for customers. These campaigns are led by our national Committees and paid staff but branches like ours will contribute to campaigning activity in whatever ways we can.

Pub Company Reform
Many licensees rent or lease their pub from pub owning businesses, often referred to as pub companies. Some of these are large, notably Stonegate, Punch, Star, Admiral, Marstons and Greene King (the big six) but there are literally hundreds in varying sizes.

Most pub companies impose a supply tie on most of their tenants/lessees. This restricts them to stocking particular brands or products, lessening the licensee’s ability to offer a wide choice of beers and ciders to their customers; they must also pay the prices charged by the pub company, which are invariably dearer than the open market price. CAMRA campaigns for tenants/lessees to be able to stock a guest beer or cider of their choice, regardless of supply ties. We also believe that pubs should not be obliged to pay more for their choice of draft beer or cider than if they bought it direct from the producer.

We consider many supply ties to be abusive and against the interests of consumers; this could and should be addressed through an extension of the Market Rent Only option (see below).

In 2016, the Government introduced the Pubs Code, intended to ensure that tied tenants of the big six pub companies were no worse off than other tenants and could break the tie in certain situations e.g. by exercising a right to pay a Market Rent in exchange for freedom of tie. A Pubs Code Adjudicator was appointed with powers to impose financial penalties on companies that offend the Code. They also have arbitration powers to settle disputes between pub companies and tied tenants.

CAMRA believes that the Code has been ineffective in many areas. The Government is currently reviewing it and we have called for fundamental changes to ensure that pub tenants/lessees get a fair deal from the pub companies.


Beer Tax
Our pubs face one of the highest rates of beer duty in Europe. This high tax level is a key factor in squeezing publicans, forcing them to either increase prices or close their business altogether.

CAMRA has successfully persuaded the Government to create a new, lower rate of duty for draught beer and cider sold in pubs, a step that helps level the playing field with cheap supermarket alcohol. However, the rates are still far too high and we will continue to campaign for beer tax reforms.

An unfortunate aspect of the recent changes is that they do not apply to ‘takeaway’ beer so this can only be sold if the higher rate of tax has been paid on the whole container. We are working with partners and the Treasury to find ways round this unwanted situation.


Business Rates Reform
Historically, pubs have paid around 2.8% of the total business rates bill but only account for 0.5% of business turnover, an overpayment of around £500 each year.

In 2025, the Government promised reforms to the business rates system that would actually help pubs – but they omitted to mention two things.

Firstly, during the COVID era, pubs were granted a 40% discount on business rates to help them survive; this was to be removed, despite the fact that the financial situation for most pubs is, if anything, even worse now – thanks to rising energy bills, higher prices for drinks and food, increases in staff wages and national insurance contributions and reduced customer income.

The second blow came from a revaluation of the property tax value of most pubs, meaning brutal further business rate rises in many cases. Some 13% of pubs would see their rateable value double whilst the average pub faced paying an extra £13,900 over three years. Some would see huge increases – locally, at the Dodworth Tap, for instance, the bill was due to increase from £9800 a year to £50k!

Needless to say, a furore erupted about all this. At the end of January 2026, the Government responded to the pressure for change by announcing a new business rates relief scheme featuring a 15% reduction in rates and a freeze in real terms for up to three years. However, the ‘Covid’ relief was still being terminated and many pubs would also see increases because of the revaluation exercise. The Government therefore capped increases at the higher of £800 or the 15% ‘relief cap’ – so most pubs should avoid being hit too hard. Indeed, the Treasury reckon that 75% of pubs will see their bills fall or stay flat in the year from April 2026.

The Government has also promised to review the current method of calculating business rates for pubs; this will be completed in time for the next revaluation exercise (April 2029). In the meantime, limits have been placed on threatened major increases but this leaves pubs in an uncertain position that makes business planning very difficult.


Pubs and Planning
Largely thanks to lobbying by CAMRA, the planning system currently offers quite a lot of protection to pubs. Since 2017, pubs can only be changed to another use or demolished if planning permission is obtained. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), first published in 2012, requires planning authorities to guard against the unnecessary loss of facilities like pubs that are valued by local people. At the time of writing, the Government had consulted on a proposal to water down the NPPF policy so that it applied only to pubs that were the last in an area – CAMRA and others have objected strongly to this and a final verdict is awaited.

CAMRA is campaigning for planning protections on pubs to be strengthened further. In particular, we want to see introduction of a legal definition of a pub. At present, there are ‘zones of confusion’ between pubs and restaurants and between pubs and hotels. Pub owners will, for instance, claim that a pub is actually a restaurant so various planning protections do not apply. Clarity in this area is essential. We also want planning enforcement procedures to be toughened up. Decisions on whether Councils take enforcement action against apparent unauthorised developments is currently discretionary and many take the easy way out. We believe that appropriate action must be compulsory.


Handpump Hijack
Handpumps on the bar have historically been a sign of quality cask beer. Recently, however, Carlsberg Marston Brewing Co. has introduced ‘fresh ale’, a non-cask product, and is encouraging its service through handpumps. Our Handpump Hijack campaign calls on brewers to be proud of their beers and not serve them in ways that mislead customers. So far, only one local pub was found to have adopted this practice and it has happily ceased doing so. If you see any examples, please let us know.