The Government has re-appointed Fiona Dickie as Pubs Code
Adjudicator (PCA) for a further 3-year period. On her
re-appointment, Fiona said:
I am delighted to be reappointed as the Pubs Code Adjudicator
which affords the unique opportunity to continue to contribute to
the Code’s positive impact.
Much progress has been made in restoring balance in the
relationship between tied pub tenants and pub-owning businesses
through embedding cultural change in the tied sector so that
tenants’ businesses can thrive. I am proud of the PCA’s success
in reducing arbitration cases and successfully completing the
first investigation under the Code.
I will continue the important work to promote transparency and
responsible compliance behaviours and, through improved
communication and early engagement with the sector, help to avoid
formal disputes while ensuring tenants’ Code rights are
protected.
The PCA is responsible for enforcing the statutory Pubs Code (the
Code), which regulates the relationship between large pub-owning
businesses and their tied pub tenants in England and Wales.
The PCA has powers to arbitrate individual disputes about the
Code, investigate suspected breaches by pub-owning businesses and
impose sanctions, including financial penalties, when there is
non-compliance.
The PCA provides advice and guidance about the Code and leads a
team based in Birmingham.
About Fiona Dickie
Fiona Dickie was appointed as the PCA in May 2020 for a 4-year
term, ending on 2 May 2024. Prior to that, she was the Deputy
Pubs Code Adjudicator from November 2017 until May 2020. Fiona
was called to the Bar in 1993. She has been a Vice President of
the Valuation Tribunal for England from 2009 until 2020 and was
appointed Judge of First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) in 2013
(after serving as a Lawyer Chair of its predecessor tribunal from
2006). She was also appointed as a Road User Charging Adjudicator
in 2004. Fiona has been a mediator in civil disputes since 2005
and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators since
2018.
Additional information
The Small
Business, Enterprise and Employment (SBEE) Act
2015 required the introduction of a statutory Pubs Code
and the appointment of a Pubs Code Adjudicator. The Code governs
the relationship between large pub-owning businesses, which own
500 or more tied pubs in England and Wales, and their tied
tenants.
The Government must review the operation of the Code and the
performance of the PCA every three years. A report on the
second statutory review, for the period from April 2019 – March
2022, was published in October 2023. This concluded the PCA to
have been effective in enforcing the Code over the review period,
particularly in reducing arbitration cases and successfully
completing the first investigation under the Code.
Fiona Dickie will continue as the PCA for a further 3-year term
following on from her current term which ends on 2 May 2020. This
appointment is regulated by the Commissioner
for Public Appointments and has been made in line with
the Governance Code for Public
Appointments.
