AN MP has backed Government proposals for an independent adjudicator to address unfair practices in the pub industry.

There are also plans to establish a new statutory code to look at the relationship between large pub companies (pubcos) and landlords.

Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey has welcomed the move, saying it will ensure fair practices for a number of issues including rents and the prices publicans pay for beer.

She said: “Our major breweries in Suffolk do act responsibly but there are too many examples across the country where the property value is assessed more highly than the value of the pub to the community.

“While we should not seek to regulate on every issue, nor is the government afraid to act in the interest of small business.

“I know how hard it is for some landlords to survive on small margins. During these tough times, having the security of the brewery interest has often helped but I do know that more freedom for landlords will be welcomed by them.”

Pubcos own around half the pubs in the UK and decide where tied landlords can buy beer from and at what price.

The formal consultation on the proposed measures will be launched the spring.