On the eve of a new Parliament, the ALMR has taken a look at how the licensed trade was understood among MPs at the end of the previous term with a survey showing strong support across the main political parties for the value the sector brought to UK society and economy.
95% believe positive impacts
According to the study conducted by YouGov in March 2015, 95% of Parliamentarians believed that the UK’s eating out of home market has either a very positive or positive impact on job creation and economic growth.
Additionally, 95% of respondents stated that pubs and bars have a very positive or positive impact on their local economies and 87% believed they had a very positive or positive impact on local communities.
These figures compared favourably with a similar but separate poll carried out in 2010 that stated that 69% of members of the public polled believed pubs were an important part of the social fabric of their own communities.
Practical response post-Election
ALMR Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said:
“The ALMR’s survey of MPs at the end of the previous Parliament showed a clear recognition of the valuable impact licensed retail has on communities, job creation and local economies right across the UK. At this pivotal time of year it’s reassuring to know that the efforts of the licensed hospitality sector are not going unnoticed and we hope that this translates into a practical response following the General Election.
“The ALMR has worked hard to build up awareness and appreciation of the hard work being down by the trade and positive impacts being felt by local communities.
“We have seen the importance of pubs and bars being recognised in some of the pre-Election literature and Manifesto pledges designed to appeal to businesses. We hope that all parties continue to recognise and support the great work our sector is doing as we move towards the next Parliament.
“We wish all candidates well in next Thursday’s ballot and look forward to working with the class of 2015 to build understanding and support for the sector over the course of the next Parliamentary term.”
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