Celebrating Ten Years of the Pubs Code Adjudicator

Today marks a significant milestone for the tied pub trade. Introduced by Parliament on 21 July 2026, the Pubs Code has reached its tenth anniversary. The Pubs Code was introduced to address serious and long-standing concerns about the relationship between large pub companies and their tied tenants. Over the past ten years, the Pubs Code has played a pivotal role to empower tied tenants and protect fairness in the tied business relationship, helping to create a fairer and more transparent regulated pub sector in England and Wales. 

Since the Pubs Code came into force in 2016, the PCA has worked to help tied pub tenants to exercise their rights, while regulating the largest pub-owning businesses so that the core Code principles are upheld - fair and lawful dealing by pub companies towards their tied tenants, who should no worse off than if they were free of tie. 

At the heart of the PCA’s work are tied tenants, the people working hard to run pubs in communities across England and Wales. Their experiences, enquiries and willingness to share information have helped shape the PCA’s understanding of how the Code operates in practice. 

These insights have led to the PCA strengthening its approach to proportionate and effective regulation over the past decade in relation to information rights of prospective tenants, transparency in rights in relation to rent negotiations, MRO and other rights under the Code. This has included establishing structured compliance procedures, delivering a quality and timely arbitration service, introducing a register of self-reported breaches, promoting professional advice and developing the annual tied tenant survey which offers invaluable insights into the experiences and perspectives of tied tenants, as well as highlighting key trends and areas for improvement across the industry. The PCA has also exercised its statutory investigation powers in relation to Star Pubs in the investigation which ended in Autumn 2020, helping to clarify expectations and strengthen compliance with the Code, and has recently launched an investigation into Stonegate Group. 

Fiona Dickie, Pubs Code Adjudicator, said: “This anniversary is an opportunity to recognise everyone who has contributed to the PCA’s work over the last decade, including tied tenants, sector partners and advisers who have shared expertise, and dedicated PCA staff, past and present, whose professionalism and commitment have supported the Office’s independent statutory role. The PCA also recognises the contribution of those who have championed the Pubs Code within their pub-owning businesses, including the Code Compliance Officers in their work to embed compliance verification. 

Ten years on, the pub sector continues to evolve, with changing business models, trading pressures and tenant needs. The PCA remains focused on its founding principles to protect tied tenants’ rights, providing accessible information, monitoring compliance, using data intelligently and intervening proportionately where needed.