The landlords of a village pub have confirmed they are leaving the tenancy after hopes the pub could remain open were dashed.

Lee and Jo Rowe, licensees of the Royal Oak in Meavy, have given their notice to the pub’s owners Burrator Parish Council and intend leaving the pub on December 15 after a dispute with the council over opening hours.

Despite two public meetings in a week in a bid to persuade the tenants to stay, at least until Christmas, the tenants wrote a letter saying trust between them and the council had ‘broke down’ and therefore, there was no prospect of them staying.

The couple, who rent the pub from the council under a tenancy agreement, say they are ‘sad’ to leave, but they had ‘no choice’ because the council is effectively ‘interfering’ in their business and being ‘inflexible’ over Monday and Tuesday opening hours, when they find it uneconomic to stay open, especially in the evening, due to rising costs with dwindling customer numbers.

The council says it has ‘bent over backwards’ to agree to the landlords’ requests over winter opening hours, a staff holiday and benches on the village green. Council chairman Cllr Fred Glanville said there was nothing he’d like more than for Lee and Jo to stay. He denied allegations that the council was ‘forcing’ the pair out and that the council had been flexible over 95 per cent of their changes to the terms of their lease and that it was ‘more than likely’ that any Monday and Tuesday opening variations would be agreed.

At a full council meeting on Thursday, September 24, several pub regulars attended and backed the view that ‘there was no way’ the licensees would stay, whatever the council agreed to now.

Pub customer Adam Golder read out a statement from the publicans, saying: “We’d like it to be known that predominantly as a result of a very protracted negotiations with the parish council over the terms of the future lease, we feel that this has led to a complete breakdown in trust between us.”

Jo and Lee said their request for ‘complete flexibility’ on Monday and Tuesday opening had now been offered to future tenants and they had been asked to reapply for the new lease on these terms, further undermining trust.

“Only we have suddenly become aware that all the terms we previously requested have been offered to anyone taking on the lease.“It appears that the council may not actually want us to stay, hence the breach of trust.”

The couple have now, separately, invited everyone to a ‘leaving party’: “We look forward to welcoming everyone through our doors and sharing these final moments with you before we say our final goodbyes.

“Thank you for all your continued support, kindness and wonderful memories. It truly means so much to us.”

Cllr Glanville said he had found a way round the Rowe’s invoking their tenancy break clause and to avoid future disagreements between the council and licensees, a managing agent could possibly be employed.