Pubs in England and Wales will be able to choose their water supplier if draft legislation plans drawn up by the government are approved.

Currently, water suppliers in England and Wales have a regional monopoly, but a draft water bill – expected to be passed by Parliament before it goes into recess in July – will open the sector up to competition, allowing licensees to switch between water suppliers in the same way as with gas and electricity. The legislation, however, isn’t likely to come into effect until 2017.

One North Yorkshire couple is celebrating after being crowned as the number one landlords in England and Wales.

Ashley and Kelly McCarthy from the Ye Old Sun Inn in Colton, near Tadcaster, were both presented with the coveted British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Licensee of the Year Award today in front of a large audience of pub industry professionals at the glitzy BII annual lunch at Grosvenor House in London.

BII judge John Sharratt commented: “Ashley and Kelly are quality operators with an offering appropriate to their target audience. Their rural pub is situated in a very small community which could not sustain their business alone, but they have successfully created a pub that locals love and which also attracts people from the surrounding area.”

Ashley and Kelly took over the pub in 2004 and have since built up an enviable reputation based on their quality food and extensive drinks offering, alongside a community events programme.

David Cameron has promised to introduce a “package of measures” to tackle cheap supermarket alcohol despite failing to include minimum pricing in last week’s Queen’s Speech.

Asked about the issue during a debate on the Queen’s Speech in Parliament, the Prime Minister said: “On minimum pricing for alcohol, it is important that we take action to deal with deeply discounted alcohol, with cans of lager sometimes selling for as little as 25p in supermarkets.

“We will be bringing forward a package of measures, and it is important that we get this right.”

BT Sport has today released details of its pricing packages for pubs.

The new service launches in August with 38 live Premier League football matches, FA Cup football and Aviva Premiership rugby among its offer.

Pubs that sign up before July 1^st will get 12 months subscription for the price of nine, plus a free TV box and installation.

Bruce Cuthbert from BT Sport, said: “BT Sport will be an open, fun, inclusive place and we think it will offer broad appeal, from the wide range of sports we are offering to the fantastic presenters we have signed up.

“From sports fanatics to those who simply want to see a bit more sport down their local, we believe BT Sport represents an affordable and exciting new service for pubs who don’t want to change their spots.”

For more information visit www.btsportbusiness.com or call 0800 678 1957

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has teamed up with VisitBritain to launch a new initiative called ‘Pubs are Great’ to encourage more people to visit pubs.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the BBPA, said: “We want to build on the support we have received from the government and launching Pubs are Great is an important part of that. The third most popular reason that people come to the UK is to visit a British pub. That is important and this is the time to build on that sort of support.

VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe added: “Eating out in pubs is incredibly good value, and it’s definitely something that we promote.

“Overseas visitors love pubs because they are uniquely British, and they like the idea of coming to practice their English and meet real people, so we promote pubs on that level.”

The British Beer & Pub Association has teamed up with Sky’s Preview magazine, distributing 23,000 unit awareness posters to licensees who receive Sky Sports in pubs.

The posters, which display a simple message about the number of alcohol units in commonly consumed drinks, form part of the unit awareness materials developed by the BBPA as part of its contribution to the government’s Public Health Responsibility deal. The BBPA provided the posters and Sky has distributed them free-of-charge.

The initiative was developed by the BBPA in partnership with Drinkaware. It is intended to assist drinkers in making informed choices and to help raise consumer awareness of responsible drinking in the UK. 

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is calling on pubs to create ‘nature gardens’ in a bid to attract wildlife and halt the decline in numbers.

The charity, which will launch its ‘Giving nature a home’ micro-site In June 2013, said small steps were equally as significant as large gestures.

Recommendations include introducing potted patio tubs, hanging baskets, nesting boxes, hedgehog homes, planting wild flowers, creating a bug hotel and, for those with bigger gardens, digging a pond.

Spending on credit and debit card in pubs has increased by 4% following the cut in beer duty in the Budget, new research from Barclaycard shows.

The research looked at spending in pubs in the two weeks preceding the cut and the two weeks following the cut.

Growth in some regions was significantly above the average, with Wales at +11.8%, the North East at +6.9% and the East Midlands at +5.4%.

A Barclaycard spokesperson said: “This modest increase in pub spending will be a welcome sign for an industry that has faced many challenges over recent years.”

The Diageo National Pubwatch Awards have been launched for the second year running.

The awards, which aim to recognise the efforts of local Pubwatch schemes throughout the UK, are being held on 10^th July in London.

Steve Baker, national Pubwatch chair, said: “It doesn’t matter how big or small the scheme is we are just looking for evidence that the scheme and its members are making a difference in their pubs and wider area through their own efforts”.

Mark Baird from Diageo, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring and supporting the National Pubwatch Awards again for a second year.

 “Winning an award provides a platform to promote the work of your scheme and ensures recognition by the local community that you are promoting social responsibility.”

Just over four in 10 (43%) consumers spent less on drinking in pubs and bars in January 2013 compared with the same period in 2012.

That’s according to a recent study by Mintel which also found that only 8% of adults spent more on alcoholic drinks in pubs and bars in January 2013, compared with the beginning of 2012.

The report noted that the figures were “strongly driven” by 18 to 24-year-olds, “with the increasing popularity of ‘pre-loading’ to save money.

Of those surveyed, Mintel found that out of the customers who said they spent less money in the pub, 74% said that they wanted to save money.

Out of the respondents who said that they have spent more money in the pub, 44% explained that it is because prices have increased. Almost 40% said they spent more because they wanted to treat themselves.