A popular pub in Cliftonwood could be taken over by its regulars and members of the local community to ensure its future.
The Lion in Church Lane was packed for a public meeting to discuss ways of gathering support to buy the pub and ensuring the landlady can continue running it. One possibility is to set up a charity or company to buy the pub.
Fiona Vincent has been at The Lion for 16 years running it with the help of her family. She said that since the Covid pandemic and the present cost of living crisis it “had been a struggle”.
David Gilroy, who lives in Cliftonwood and is a regular at The Lion said: “Just under a hundred people gathered in the bar to discuss the issue. A small number of us have been meeting for about six weeks talking over the matter. But this was the first public meeting”.
He added: “We feel that the pub will be better run as a community asset and opened up for more use than just food and drink. Also, the tied contract with the pub company who own it is pretty punchy in terms of the rent and the cost of beer in the ‘tie’ and that impacts the prices that consumers pay.”
Bristol City Council is considering an application to make the Lion an Asset of Community Value.
The Lion is owned by the UK’s largest pub operator, Stonegate.