Skip to main content
We'll resist pub closures, union vows

THE GMB insisted today that pubs are a “community amenity” and have vowed to help resist their closure.

Delegates meeting in Brighton at the union’s annual conference have agreed to use pubs “wherever possible” for union affairs.

Drinkers’ rights campaigners have estimated that an average of 14 pubs close each week.

Stoke delegate Mervyn Edwards said: “I’ve been a pub-goer for over 40 years, and going to the pub has been a big part of my education.

“Members of the community who may otherwise fall victim to isolation find a valuable social outlet in the pub.

“In helping us out with rooms and socialising spaces, pubs have played a great role in the history of our union and in the unfolding story of working-class life.”

West Midlands delegate Paula Defriez agreed, saying: “In a pub, human behaviour is relaxed and generally honest.

“They are the centres of community life. They are a community amenity and they really should be recognised as such.”

Morning Star Conference - Race, Sex & Class
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Britain / 27 February 2020
27 February 2020
Britain / 27 February 2020
27 February 2020
Britain / 26 February 2020
26 February 2020
Similar stories
Britain / 4 May 2025
4 May 2025
Britain / 16 February 2025
16 February 2025
COMEDIC POLITICAL POLYMATH: Mark Thomas
Interview / 16 July 2024
16 July 2024
MIKE QUILLE speaks to author, activist and performer Mark Thomas