TIED rent deals that restrict pub landlords’ choice of beers are a “scandal” and should be outlawed, York’s council leader has said.

Coun James Alexander has vowed to raise the issue with national politicians and says he will also look into ways for City of York Council to help pubs and other small businesses.

Many of Britian’s biggest pub companies operate a “beer tie”, which forces licensees to buy beer via the company that owns their lease, rather than directly from the brewers, but the arrangement is controversial and has been blamed for the closure of many pubs.

Coun Alexander, who was formerly chair of York’s licensing committee, said: “It is clear the rent deals some companies are tying landlords into are incredibly unfair and are a form of closed shop monopoly. This is detrimental to the viability of pubs and the pub industry as a whole. When you can buy a keg for £60 from a brewery but you have to buy it for £90 because of your rent deal, questions need to be asked.”

He said he also feared that many local pubs had been over-valued by the Valuations Office, meaning landlords were paying more than they should in business rates.

He was speaking after working a shift at the Fulford Arms pub on Wednesday, when he met landlord Steve Bradley and discussed the state of the pub trade.

He said: “I am going to investigate if the council can give any support to small businesses who dispute their business rates valuation. I will also be talking to national political colleagues about the scandal of these strings attached rent deals. There needs to be legislation against this. Steve runs a fantastic pub in the Fulford Arms and he and other pub landlords and ladies need our support in these trying times.”

Mr Bradley said: “James seemed genuinely interested in the problems we are facing. The beer tie is a huge issue and the Government needs to realise that self regulation for the pubcos is not enough. They need to legislate.”