As promised, here is the "Event" for our visit by our MP, Absitam Mohammed and representatives from Punch. We've just been told there is a "possibility" she will need to be in London that afternoon to vote on the Assisted Dying Bill ( I don't think they have a date for that yet, but are just covering their backs in case), but they will keep us informed. Please keep the date in your diary, in the hope that there isn't a potential clash, but it really is too much to ask you to doing anything as substantial as taking the day off work (as some people have very generously said the were going to).
My original post is below, and the letter is in the "discussion":
As you all know, I don't “do” Politics, especially Party Politics, either at the bar, or on here. I will however do everything I can to stand up for this Industry and the Dove. The days of wet-led pubs making a “profit” are long gone – now its sadly just a case of whether we can all actually pay the bills to keep the doors open. Saturdays are really strong still, but no pub can function on 1 good day a week alone, with costs as they are. Unless something in the wider “system” changes urgently, there is a very real danger that you'll just be left with Spoons, other Chain/Managed Pubs, and maybe a few Freehold Independent (mainly pricey Destination Food) pubs...
We've all been facing a massive Cost of Living / Cost of Doing Business crisis in recent years and months, which means our costs have gone through the roof at the same time as you all struggle to get out to the pub as much as you used to, or would like to. Add to that the closure of the O2 Academy; less people working in town (working from home), especially on Fridays; poor public transport and the cost of taxis, not to mention the potentially fatal blow of the recent increase in the cost of employing staff and reduction in Business Rates Relief. The people who set Governments Budgets and Policy, as well as those who set Rent Levels, need to know how important pubs like the Dove and Rainbow really are, not just as a Business paying tax and providing jobs, but as the heart of the local Community, and for you, our loyal customers, who chose to call us “home”.
Back in February, I wrote to our MP, outlining a number of these issues, and my letter is in the comments, so I'm not going to repeat it all here, but please do read it. I am delighted that Abtisam Mohammed has agreed to come to the Dove, on Friday 20th June at 4pm, to find out more about us and the challenges we face, as well as the special Community that we have built here. Punch have seen a copy of my letter and are actively lobbying the Government on this issue (Punch are not actually the bad guys this time!) and they have also accepted my invitation to come along and meet some of our customers. In the absence of any meaningful support from the Gov't (which I'm not expecting), we'll be relying on goodwill from Punch to help see us through this, where rent is concerned, so we need them to see the Dove as more than just bricks and mortar, and numbers on a spreadsheet.
We will be opening at 3.30pm on that day, and would really appreciate a good selection of our diverse Customer Base popping in to have a chat with them! We know it's a bit early, but it's important, to show them what your pub means to you, (as opposed to just what it means to ME) so if you can even just call in for a quick cuppa or a half, we'd love to have you here.
If you can make it at 3.30/4pm on Friday 20th June, we'd really appreciate your support, thank you x
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