THERE has been precious little for Oxfordshire’s landlords to raise a glass to during the past few years.

Customers have less money in their pockets and the smoking ban has put others off.

Add in competition from supermarkets offering drink at rock-bottom prices and rising business rates and it is easy to see why 50 pubs in the county closed between 2007 and 2012.

But perhaps the biggest headache is the one caused by ‘tied’ pubs.

Unlike free houses, they must buy beer and other alcohol only from the brewery or pub company they are tied to, rather than shopping around for the best deal.

Anger has been steadily mounting against what are seen as unreasonable price hikes by the big breweries.

Last month, landlord Tom Rainey, who runs The Punter on Oxford’s Osney Island, put up a sign behind the bar describing brewery giant Greene King as “one seriously greedy company who, it seems, are making it their aim to destroy independent pubs”.

Mr Rainey said he had since come to a “positive agreement” with Greene King, in return for taking it down.

But although on a better deal, he is still unhappy the company charges him £100 for a barrel of IPA.

This compares to £88 if he buys it via Punch Taverns, which he is tied to through the other Punter pub he runs in Cambridge, or £80 if through a company which supplies some of his spirits.

He said: “I won a small battle with them. Even though the price I pay is ridiculously out of sync with the market, it has helped.

“Greene King are very greedy and that is why their nickname in the industry is Greedy King. You can see why the Government is trying to cut down on this.

“It’s the continuing rate these prices are going up that is also the problem.

“There is a monopoly that needs to be broken because there is a free market and we should be able to buy from whoever we want.”

Now, it seems the tide could be turning, following a Government drive to secure a fairer deal for publicans.

As part of UK-wide discussions with pub landlords, breweries and licensees, Consumer and Competition Minister Jo Swinson visited The Talbot Inn near Eynsham recently.

Talks there centred on a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consultation and plans to set up a statutory code of conduct for all pub companies.

This would be backed by an independent adjudicator with authority to fine anyone who breaks the rules.

Ms Swinson believes there is an imbalance of power, which results in some individuals being exploited.

She said: “We heard individual experiences where people can be locked in for decades to a lease which is losing them tens of thousands of pounds each year.

“The pub companies are very powerful but Parliament has sent a very clear message that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.”

But she emphasised that not all breweries should be tarred with the same brush.

Rene Klein, 40, a tenant landlord at the Great Western Arms in Aynho, near Banbury, has a good relationship with Oxfordshire's Hook Norton brewery.

He and wife, Ali, 28, who live over the pub, with their children Freddie, two and six-week-old Poppie, both had parents in the trade.

Mr Klein said: “You know what the deal is when you take it on, they don’t hide it.

“A lot of the bad press comes from people who don’t really know what they are getting into, fall over at the first hurdle and then blame the pub company.

“If I went to a business adviser and said I wanted to open an accountancy business, they would ask me why on earth I wanted to do that, since I know nothing about accountancy.

“Yet, people say ‘I am an accountant, I can surely a run a pub’ and it is actually not all that easy.”

Jo and Keith Walkley-Pratt, who run The Bear in Wantage, have managed five pubs during 18 years, all of them as tenants of Swindon-based brewer Arkell’s.

Mrs Walkley-Pratt said: “I think the prices we pay are fair but I have heard horror stories from other landlords with bigger companies.

“They end up paying massive rents and can’t take enough money to make a decent living.”

Greene King spokesman Amy Golledge said: “We focus on getting the right deal in every pub.

“Our tenancy agreements offer a range of business opportunities for self-employed entrepreneurs that include free of tie for wines, spirits and minerals and other flexible options.

“Where tenants are tied for the purchase of beers, they receive significant benefits and support.

“These include extensive training, expert advice from business development managers, participation in marketing initiatives and the benefits of a skilled property management team.”