BROMSGROVE MP Sajid Javid has backed the Government’s review which will boost the number of local pubs.

As part of its commitment to the Great British pub, the Government has launched a review of restrictive covenants, a legal clause that can be used to prevent community pubs reopening as public houses following a sale.

In just five years, between 2004 and 2009, some 572 pubs are said to have been permanently lost following a sale with a restrictive covenant, potentially depriving thousands of regulars of an important community asset.

A new study by the GMB shows that 232 pubs in the West Midlands region have closed since December 2005 with 11 closing in Worcestershire.

Mr Javid said: “Pubs are hubs of community life, as important to the local social scene as they are to the local economy here in Bromsgrove. But time is being called at too many of our ‘locals’, depriving people of treasured places to get together in the community.

“We are putting the people back in charge, giving them the power to step in and save their much-loved community assets. By reviewing this restrictive red tape we will enable people to use their collective powers to ensure that their locals remain local and continue to thrive at the heart of our Bromsgrove community.”