Jerry pledges support for local pubs and brewers

Jerry Roodhouse, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Rugby and Bulkington has pledged his support for pub-goers and beer drinkers in Rugby by backing CAMRA's Election Manifesto.

CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and its members are asking candidates to promote and celebrate Britain's 1,540 breweries and over 50,000 pubs by considering a range of measures to help make pub-going and beer drinking more affordable for UK consumers.

Jerry has committed to:

• Celebrate and promote Britain's breweries

• Support action to help pubs thrive

• Represent the interest of pub-goers, beer and cider drinkers if elected into the next Parliament

Beer, brewing and pubs support nearly 900,000 jobs and contribute £23.1bn to the economy annually. Candidates are therefore being urged to ensure the sector is not left behind in the Brexit negotiations due to take place in the coming years.

Commenting, Jerry Roodhouse, said:

"Pubs and real ale need a voice and I'm very pleased to be speaking up for them. I'm sure everyone will agree that well-run community pubs play an important role in local life, providing enjoyment and community cohesion.

"Many are small businesses contributing to the local economy, but struggling under the burden of business rates. Pubs pay 2.8% of all business rates but account for only 0.5% of total business turnover. The Liberal Democrats are promising to act to reduce the business rates burden on small firms. If elected, I will continue my support and speak up for pubs and real ale."

CAMRA's full Manifesto for election candidates can be accessed here:

www.camra.org.uk/pledgeforpubs

About CAMRA

CAMRA is a consumer group with 187,000 members which acts as the independent voice for real ale drinkers and pub goers.