Pub Nationalisation and Community Co-operatisation Act

A

BILL

TO

facilitate the nationalisation of pubs across the United Kingdom for the purposes of preserving community facilities for events and social occasions, preserving the culture of the United Kingdom, facilitating economic development and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Definitions

1. In this Act—

(a) a “pub” is an establishment for the sale of beer and other drinks, and sometimes food, to be consumed on the premises;

(b) a “Charitable Community Benefit Society” is a community benefit society registered as per the provisions of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies and Credit Unions Act 2010 as well as the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 and which has charitable status by means of an asset lock;

(c) “the Corporation” is to be construed with the definition in subsection 2(1).

2 The KONSUM and Amenities Corporation

1. Upon the order of a Minister of the Crown, there shall for the purposes of this Act be a public corporation called the KONSUM and Amenities Corporation, within this Act also simply referred to as “the Corporation”.

2. The Konsum and Amenities Corporation shall be managed and led by a Board of Officers.

3. The Chairman of the Board shall be appointed by the Minister, and the other members of the Board (including the vice chairman) shall be appointed by the Minister after consultation with the chairman of that Board.

4. The Board shall consist of a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, or two Vice Chairmen, and not more than sixteen nor less than ten other members; the chairmen and other members of the Board shall be appointed from among persons who appear to the Minister to have had wide experience of, and to have shown capacity in subjects relating to the operations of the corporation, and the Minister in appointing them shall have regard to the desirability of having members who are familiar with the special requirements and circumstances of particular regions and areas served by the corporation.

5. The Corporation may hold its own assets, take loans, take on employees and spend out of its own liquid reserves.

6. The Corporation is to operate according to the mission as laid out in the Second Schedule of this Act.

7. The Corporation shall require any establishment in which it has any stake to operate according to the rules laid out in the Third Schedule of this Act and shall withdraw from any operation not operated in accordance with them.

3 Changes to the goals and operations of the KONSUM and Amenities Corporation

1. Her Majesty may from time to time by Order in Council make provision for changing the types of establishments subject to the Corporation as laid out in the First Schedule of this Act.

2. Her Majesty may from time to time by Order in Council make provision for changing the mission of the Corporation as laid out in the Second Schedule of this Act.

3. Her Majesty may from time to time by Order in Council make provision for changing the rules of operation for establishments in which the Corporation has stakes as laid out in the Third Schedule of this Act.

4. No recommendation shall be made to Her Majesty to make an Order in Council under this section unless a draft of the Order has been presented to the House of Commons by a Minister of the Crown no less than a week in advance of such an order taking effect.

4 Community socialisation and nationalisation of pubs and taverns

1. A charitable Community Benefit Society formed for the express purpose of providing for the local community any establishment as laid out in the first schedule of this act will have right of first refusal for any such establishment that is for sale.

2. The Corporation shall match, if requested, multiplied by factor A, any investment by a charitable Community Benefit Society into an establishment as laid out in the first schedule of this act in exchange for equity.

3. The factor A mentioned in subsection 2 shall be decided annually by a Minister of the Crown after consultation with the chairman of the Board.

5 Short title, commencement and extent

(1) This Act may be cited as the Pub Nationalisation Act.

(2) These provisions of this Act shall come into force in England the day this Act is passed.

(3) This Act shall come into force in Scotland the day that the Scottish Parliament passes a legislative consent motion.

(4) This Act shall come into force in Wales the day that the Welsh Parliament passes a legislative consent motion.

(5) This Act shall come into force in Northern Ireland the day that the Northern Ireland Assembly passes a legislative consent motion.

(6) This Act extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Schedule 1. Establishments subject to the KONSUM and Amenities Corporation

Pubs and taverns

Miscellaneous meeting and social spaces.

Schedule 2. The KONSUM and Amenities Corporation’s mission

The mission of the KONSUM and Amenities Corporation is to provide for the existence of and access to, within local communities, establishments of types laid out in Schedule 1 (Establishments subject to the KONSUM and Amenities Corporation) of this Act.

The KONSUM and Amenities Corporation shall run these establishments keeping in mind the business and social responsibilities of a corporation, on its own or jointly with Community Benefit Societies.

The KONSUM and Amenities Corporation shall run these establishments in accordance with the rules set out in Schedule 3 (Rules pertaining to establishments operated wholly or in part by the KONSUM and Amenities Corporation).

Profits are to be reinvested either to create new establishments of the types laid out in the First Schedule (establishments subject to the KONSUM and Amenities Corporation) of this Act, or to improve existing establishments wholly or partially controlled by the corporation.

Schedule 3. Rules pertaining to establishments operated wholly or in part by the KONSUM and Amenities Corporation

PART I “Within eyesight” for the purpose of this schedule means through either direct visual sight by a person or through computer/screen assisted equipment which is placed on or under the bar in an easily viewable spot to staff members.

PART II Pubs in which the Corporation is invested must;](https://www.reddit.com/r/MHOCCmteVote/comments/r6b303/b1302_pub_nationalisation_and_community/)

(a) be run with the express purpose not of selling alcohol, but of becoming sustainable businesses, including protections and conditions of employees;

(b) given sustainability, offer free access (and where applicable resources) for the hosting of events with reasonable notice to local community members;

(c) have all seating which can be served alcohol within eyesight of the bar;

(d) given sustainability, be run with as low as is reasonably possible prices on food and beverages to ensure that they are accessible to people of the community;

(e) must discourage the purchasing of rounds of drinks for multiple friends by patrons of the establishment;

(f) if reasonably possible, have disability access toilets on the ground floor;

(g) be able to offer alcohol free events on request to the community should such be desired.

This Bill was authored by u/KalvinLokan CMG MP on behalf of Her Majesty’s 29th Government.

Mr Speaker,

Pub Nationalisation was promised in this governments’ Queen’s Speech, specifically that this government would work to ensure that these often vital parts of local communities are looked after and protected from the rampant closure and collapse of them as a result of past governments ignoring their calls to deal with the issues that have arisen as a result of the growing globalisation in the supermarket industry which has seen alcohol sales in stores never higher, and in pubs, never lower.

So, what are the steps to take? Well, a very easy way to deal with at least part of the problem is to do as the British government has done in the past, taking pubs, or certain pubs into public ownership and running them to ensure that they are profitable, not necessarily off the sale of alcohol. Indeed, alcohol consumption in pubs is far lower than the level of alcohol a given person will consume from a shop, often buying bottles of spirit which has contributed greatly to rising alcoholism in our country and meant that many thousands of families have been ripped apart as a result of the danger of excessive drinks. Pubs are a fairly easy way to tackle the issue, reducing alcohol consumption because they have to be run in a way that means that people drink softer stuff, and less of it, they make their money in ale, not in spirits, which can only be consumed in a lesser volume and will not cause someone to get as drunk.

This bill not only protects vital parts of a community, it is also an active way we can help reduce the level of alcohol consumption across our country and ensure that….

A01- Amendment 1- Submitted by The Earl of St Ives

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Amend Section 5(2) to:

(2) The provisions of this Act shall not come into force in England until all devolved administrations have passed a legislative consent motion.

A02 - Amendment 2 - Submitted by His Grace The Duke of Aberdeen

Omit Section 5(3), 5(4) and 5(5).

EN: if the devolved administrations wish to pursue this policy, let them put forward legislation and debate it within those parliaments. The devolved policy being done by WM and a legislative consent motion mean that a full debate that allows for the legislation to be amended does not take place. It should not become a matter of routine.

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A03 - Amendment 3 - Submitted by The Most Honourable Marquess of Rayleigh

Amend Section 2(7) to read:

1. The Corporation may require any establishment in which it has any stake to operate according to the rules laid out in the Third Schedule of this Act and shall withdraw from any operation not operated in accordance with them.

Explanatory Note: In Subsection 5, it details that the Corporation may hold its own assets, but the same condition is not applied to the establishment in which it has any stake - this amendment will align both subsections together.

Lords can debate on the proposed amendments by the 11th January at 10pm GMT