For a village pub to work, it needs unwavering local support and shared ownership helps build this. We won’t all agree every detail, but together a great pub can be built from compromise.

A community pub is just that – it is a business owned and controlled by people from within the community for community benefit.

Community pubs are owned by members (also known as shareholders) and are run democratically, often on the basis of one member-one-vote. Membership is voluntary, affordable, and open to all in a community, and is the mechanism for ensuring the community has a genuine say in how the business is run. This is what gives community pubs longevity, as member control and input ensures the pub business is continually adapting and serving the needs of its members and wider community.

Once in community ownership, an elected committee or board will continue to represent the wider membership and determine how the business is managed. The committee will either delegate the day-to-day management of the business to a team of paid staff and volunteers, or sublet to a tenant who will operate the business within a framework set by the community.

In the majority of cases, community pubs are not just a place to eat and drink: they provide a wide range of additional services such as shops, post offices, cafés; they become a hive of community and voluntary activity providing space for clubs and societies; they enrich the local cultural scene by promoting live music, performances and events, the arts, and traditional pub sports; they actively promote inclusion and look out for those most vulnerable in society; and they play an active role in addressing isolation and loneliness through the creation of social and volunteering opportunities.