A new campaign set up by licensees in Tayside and Fife is warning that the ready availability of cheap booze is having a catastrophic impact on the nation’s hospitality trade.
Among those spearheading the ‘Level the Playing Field’ initiative is Jeff Ellis, the Fife publican who last year took on two supermarkets in a landmark David-versus-Goliath legal case.
Tesco and Morrisons could have had their licences to sell alcohol in their Cupar and Glenrothes branches suspended if Mr Ellis’s application for a legislative review had been successful.
He had argued that the supermarkets were breaching the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 by offering irresponsible alcohol promotions and failing to uphold the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder and public nuisance, protecting children and improving public health.
Despite the defeat, he insists the war is far from over. With the SNP now boasting a majority in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Ellis insists the calls for action are set to crescendo.
“One of the things we are calling for is the implementation of minimum pricing,” he told The Courier. “Given the recent election result there is no doubt it should be given a prominent place on the political agenda.”
However, Mr Ellis acknowledges that a number of potentially problematic “issues” surround the policy.
He said, “While we feel minimum pricing would be a step in the right direction, a couple of issues remain. One involves competition law a legal problem which has never been satisfactorily resolved.
“The second concerns the minimum price itself. At present 45 pence per unit is proposed but this would only have a limited impact. I feel that to have a positive impact on pubs and restaurants it would have to be something closer to £1 per unit.”
The campaign has been launched by several members of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, including representatives in Fife, Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross.
Mr Ellis, who owns The Bear pub in Newburgh, insists there is much at stake.
“The current situation affects not just pubs, hotels and restaurants but also convenience stores and independent off-licences,” he said. “Big supermarkets are routinely selling alcohol at a fraction of the price that people can buy their stock for.
“The differential is not just one or two pence, but pounds. Many hospitality businesses face going out of business if nothing is done.”
Mr Ellis said the fledgling campaign’s initial aim is to raise awareness among Scottish MSPs of the “unequal implementation” of Scottish licensing legislation.
“At present the nation’s hospitality sector is being seriously eroded,” he said. “We intend to press for action to be taken to correct this.
“Big supermarkets continue to sell alcohol in bulk quantities at prices that are below wholesale cost and in some cases below the duty and VAT that is payable.”
Mr Ellis said the campaign would run “in several stages”.
Meanwhile, an e-petition can be found at www.leveltheplayingfield.co.uk/e-petition