A leading Bradford licensee is calling on pub companies to release their stranglehold on the trade, claiming some landlords of chain pubs earn below the minimum wage.

Bradford Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) chairman Bill Arnold, who has just sold his independent pub, The Junction, in Baildon, said pub companies introduce rent hikes for licensees whose pubs perform well.

He said: “When you work out how many hours pub company licensees work and how much they get paid, you see they are getting below the minimum wage. The staff they employ are making more money than they are.

“And the more effort that goes in from the individuals, the more money the pub companies want in return.

“They bang the rents up and the price of beer is always rising.”

Mr Arnold is backing CAMRA’s call for an end to landlords being ‘tied in’ to paying for beer at the price the pub’s parent companies set.

This has led to an ‘artificial inflation’ in the price of beer by an average of 50p a pint, CAMRA claims.

It has complained to the Office for Fair Trading (OFT), which is now carrying out a public consultation. The results are expected to be released in August.

Mr Arnold said: “CAMRA believes that landlords being tied into rents and the money they pay for beer is unfair and we are looking to get these ties cut.”

Mike Benner, CAMRA chief executive, said: “We are hopeful that on re-examination of the pubs market the OFT will decide to act against anti-competitive behaviour in order to deliver a fair deal for consumers.”

Married grandfather-of-four Mr Arnold and his wife Christine agreed to sell The Junction, in Otley Road, to Tommy Brown, of Clayton, Bradford.

During their five and a half years in charge, the pub has won Bradford CAMRA’s Pub of the Year Award three times and raised more than £6,000 for the children’s cancer charity, Candlelighters.

Mr Brown, who previously ran The Fire Brigade in Bradford and Stump Cross in Halifax, will continue to run The Junction as a free house. He said: “Bill has done an excellent job and I hope to keep it going with a few of my own minor improvements to attract even more people here.”

Mr Arnold, nicknamed ‘Brighton Bill’, moved to Bradford 22 years ago. He is planning to spend more time with his granddaughters and watching his beloved Brighton and Hove Albion football club.