The Verdict: Independent vs chain pubs
Our reporters hit the streets to talk to the public in our major cities across the UK about the news making the headlines this week. In this episode, we discuss independent v chain pubs, staycations or holidays abroad, plus how people cope with the summer weather.
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00:00Welcome to The Verdict on the Street, the show that listens to its audience.
00:06We're going to take some of the hottest topics out onto the streets of Britain
00:10to ask you what you think of them.
00:13In a world that seems full of experts,
00:15sometimes it's the opinions of the people on the street that really matter.
00:19So, great British public, it's over to you.
00:22We send our reporters out into a number of cities across the UK
00:26armed only with a camera and a microphone to ask simply
00:29what do you think?
00:47Is the British independent pub dying?
00:50Reports have found that in 1980 there were 69,000 pubs in the UK.
00:55The campaign for Real Ale has said the number open today
00:59sits at around the 46,800 mark.
01:03It was found that the 2007 smoking ban put a real dip in the figures.
01:08Following the pandemic, mixed with the impacts of Brexit,
01:12the cards seem stacked against the quintessentially British independent pub.
01:17Well, the chain pubs, as of Weatherspoons and all that,
01:20if that's what you mean, they're the ones making a lot of money
01:23and they do sell things a lot cheaper to the independent pubs.
01:27But mostly I go to independent pubs around by myself,
01:30just like the little The Intern and the Bag of Arms,
01:33and, well, the Bag of Arms is gone now,
01:35but that's where we used to go in the Toyburn.
01:38Far too many change pubs, yes, definitely.
01:41The last one I went to at the weekend was definitely part of a chain.
01:45I'm fortunate enough to live in the Sturchley area,
01:48so we've got a lot of pop-up breweries there,
01:51and I find the atmosphere is so much better.
01:54I think definitely as a young person,
01:57I know how important supporting local little businesses are
02:01and little pubs that are with a chain,
02:04but I think as a student and with my budget I have,
02:08I do go to the local Weatherspoons and things like that
02:11because they do just seem a little bit more affordable
02:13than potentially the independent bars and pubs.
02:16So when was the last time you went to the pub
02:19and was it a chain or was it an independent only?
02:22It was a chain. Now, do you want me to name it or Weatherspoons?
02:26I think it was probably Weatherspoons.
02:29However, I endorse Weatherspoons quite simply
02:33because two of my children are autistic, OK?
02:36So what we need as a family is to go somewhere
02:39where we know what exactly is on the menu.
02:41The last time I went to the pub
02:43was watching the last season Liverpool game,
02:48and, yeah, it was really good.
02:52And where was that? It was in the 80s.
02:55An independent pub is great.
02:57It's quite simply because of the fact that
03:00you can often get different types of beers, OK,
03:04and you can try ones from the locality.
03:07I've been to a lot of pubs in West Midlands, the chain.
03:11Chain pubs, yeah. And then some original owners.
03:15Brewers Firth.
03:17It's been a while since I've been to a pub,
03:19but I tend to try not to go to chains,
03:22in particular one that's around Glasgow.
03:26Yeah, no, I like to go to, like, Warkseas, for example,
03:31but in general I'll meet people at a restaurant more than a pub.
03:35I don't drink, so it's not really something I do very often,
03:38but my local pub where I stay in Cumbernauld
03:41was closed down and knocked down,
03:43because of a lack of, like, no real customers.
03:47I just think it's the economy right now.
03:49I think capitalism's killing everything, you know?
03:52I just feel like whether you're a small business and that's a pub,
03:56or you're a small business, like a shop owner, whatever it is,
03:59I feel like everybody's struggling right now.
04:01I try to avoid chain bars,
04:04because I think we should support the independent pubs.
04:07They're all the same,
04:09and I don't feel that there's ever really an atmosphere,
04:12you know, so, yeah, that's me.
04:14No, no for me, no chain bars.
04:16Are you choosing a staycation,
04:18or are you going abroad on holiday this year?
04:21During the coronavirus pandemic,
04:23when foreign travel was banned and then strictly regulated,
04:27the Great British Staycation truly had its day.
04:31Millions of us explored the wonders of a break not so far from home.
04:35From brilliant beaches and seaside towns
04:38to big, bustling city breaks,
04:40we had a bit of everything in the UK.
04:42But are those days behind us?
04:46Well, to be honest, I've just come back from Skegness with the family.
04:50About 17 of us went.
04:52Had a wicked time, weather was nice, everything was great.
04:55But in August, we're off to Egypt as well with the rest of my family.
04:59But the pros and cons, it is hard, but it's England,
05:04so I do like England.
05:06I always tend to go away in the summer holidays,
05:09or we go camping down Cornwall.
05:12But this year, we're going to go to Egypt,
05:14have a nice little family holiday away.
05:16But the pros and cons, I'd probably say just the weather, really,
05:19to be honest. Abroad, it's more hotter.
05:21I'm actually going away... Well, I've been away this year.
05:24I've just come back from Morocco,
05:26although you can't tell that by the colour of me.
05:29I liked it because it was...
05:31It gave me the opportunity to see different cultures,
05:35try different food.
05:37But also, I was fully looked after, and I did enough to cook.
05:41Excellent.
05:46I mean, I would love to go abroad, don't get me wrong,
05:48but affordability has stopped me this year,
05:50plus I work for the college and I'm running a summer project,
05:53so that's keeping me here right now.
05:55But I would love to go abroad, that's my preference.
05:58There's lots of lovely places in Scotland,
06:00but getting back to that heat and the sunshine and the beach,
06:03I would love that.
06:05I think you enjoy, you know, if you can get away, great.
06:08If not, enjoy Scotland, yeah.
06:10I plan to be in Italy on...
06:16..in the month of October.
06:20And because I love Italy,
06:24their cuisine,
06:27their way of presentation,
06:30and plus their cities and their artists.
06:34I haven't booked anywhere as yet, so I'm not sure.
06:38I might go somewhere at the end of the year,
06:40maybe Dubai or something like that.
06:42I'm not sure yet. I'd like to.
06:44So I am going abroad. I go to Spain every year.
06:48Going for two weeks at the end of September.
06:52And, yeah, I like moving.
06:55I like going around.
06:57I don't do it as often as I'd like, because it costs a lot of money.
07:01But I'm not originally from Scotland,
07:04so the idea of moving about is quite normal for me.
07:08But I do sometimes, like, you know, just take a week,
07:11don't see anyone, play video games, and just stay at home quiet.
07:16Are you heading abroad this summer, or is it a staycation?
07:20I am going abroad on holiday this year.
07:23We're cheating, we're doing both.
07:25LAUGHTER
07:27We're doing Llangollen for a week, and we're going to Poland for a week.
07:33West Midlands to see friends.
07:35Blackpool, because it's just lovely in this sort of weather.
07:38Yeah.
07:40Benidorm without the lights.
07:42The only reason we're able to do that is quite simply
07:45because we don't have to pay for the accommodation, OK?
07:48If we had to pay for the accommodation, it wouldn't be feasible,
07:51because I've been looking at prices over the last few years,
07:54and it is ridiculous.
07:55It all depends what you want.
07:57If you want lovely sunshine, anything like this,
08:00Blackpool's the place to go in England.
08:02It is.
08:03Yeah.
08:04Or even down south, Cornwall, Brighton.
08:07Skagness.
08:08I prefer to go abroad, because you've got more...
08:12You've got more...a variety of stuff.
08:15Forecasters have given us the good news finally.
08:18From down in the nation's capital in the south-east
08:21all the way up to the north-east,
08:23temperatures of up to 30 degrees are predicted over the coming days.
08:27Now, already sunseekers have flocked to the nation's parks and beaches
08:31to soak up a few rays while they can.
08:34But, of course, while most will seek to enjoy the sun when it sticks around,
08:39we're also being advised to do so responsibly.
08:42Just stay cool and stay at home with my fan on.
08:45I don't go outside.
08:48And what are my plans for the nice weather?
08:52Nothing in particular, to be honest.
08:55I'm just going to do the same as usual.
08:57I'm pretty much of an inside hobby type of person,
09:01so I play games with my friends in the flat with board games and things like that.
09:06But we do do barbecues on a regular basis.
09:09I've actually got some sausages that I'm importing from France for that,
09:14so it should be good.
09:15I think the best thing to do when the sun is shining is nothing.
09:18Not a lot, maybe sit in some beer garden or park.
09:21I have an ice bath, so I would always recommend an ice bath.
09:24But I think just enjoy it.
09:26I feel like we moan all year about the cold and the damp,
09:28so when it's sunny, just go and enjoy it.
09:30Enjoy the heat, cool down where you can, but yeah, get out and enjoy it.
09:33Excessive plantation and not making the city too much populated.
09:43Any tips to keep cool in the hot weather?
09:46Getting the shade.
09:47Getting the shade, drink plenty of cold water.
09:50Wear a hat.
09:53We're all wearing hats today, and it's working like magic.
09:56If you wear white, white reflects, wear something baggy and flappy,
10:01and then you can get all the air around you, and it keeps you cool.
10:04If you wear something really tight, you're going to melt.
10:07Top tips for me to keep cool is just drink plenty of water.
10:14Stay in the shade as much as you can.
10:18Have plenty of lolly ices, ice cream.
10:21What is your favorite thing to get up to when the weather's like this, cracking the flags?
10:25I don't know what we're doing today. We've had a cracking day.
10:28We've gone down the docks, so if you're down by the Mersey, you get a lovely breeze.
10:33Don't go inland. Don't go inland. Stay somewhere lovely like Liverpool.
10:37Come to the Liverpool city centre and just walk around and enjoy.
10:43I'm very skin protective.
10:45I've just recently came off holiday abroad, but even in this country, I know that the sun,
10:50even though it's not always out, you can catch the sun,
10:54so I think staying on top of sun cream and things like that.
10:59It's condescending in this country because you don't think it's out.
11:03It might be in the clouds like it is now, but definitely still catching it.
11:09Ice cream.
11:10I mean, when the sun comes out, it's like a celebration,
11:14so you definitely want to be in the sun, but just to be careful, wear a hat.
11:18The best way to stay cool, obviously, liquids, not alcohol.
11:23Water, I always find is work, and stay in the shade as much as you can.
11:27It's obvious, really.
11:29I do normally have my sunglasses with me, but I omitted to bring them with me today.
11:34When it's really hot, you can't find a better spot than going to sit up by the fountains
11:39because it's cool.