The historic tavern, established in 1837 and a favored haunt of Charles Dickens, faces council orders to remove its riverside seating due to complaints over access and visual clutter. Despite receiving over 2,000 letters of opposition, the Labour-run council insists the furniture obstructs pedestrian pathways. The landlord warns that enforcement could lead to significant job losses and alter the pub's atmosphere. He expresses frustration over the council's conflicting policies and argues the benefits of the seating for patrons outweigh the negatives highlighted by the council.
We would rather people sit down, we take your order, and we bring you your food and drink. We will have standing drinking and the noise will creep up and up.
The frustration is that (the council's) own policies go against their own arguments. The benefit of the thousands of people who enjoy it compared to those who see it as a detriment is not equal.
Collection
[
|
...
]