Last Thursday I met up with Ron Hill in Cockney’s in the Portobello Road.
Later, I was informed that it was under threat of closure because of a proposed doubling of the rent.
Local MP, Joe Powell, is backing the campaign, which includes an online petition:
‘Cockney’s Pie & Mash on the Portobello Road has said that it is at risk of closing following a proposed doubling of its annual rent.
Cockney’s is a family business that Ruth has operated here for more than three decades, and is loved by our community. Now there is a risk she will be priced out of Portobello Road by an extortionate rent hike.
As the local MP, I am writing to the landlord, asking them to reconsider the rent rise, but we need your help.
Sign the petition to add your name to the letter and send a clear message. Cockney’s is an integral part of Portobello Road, and we want it to stay.
Already, residents tell me they are fed up watching local businesses get pushed out to make way for more souvenir shops, slot machines and chain coffee shops.
Our high streets are worth fighting for and if we don’t fight for them, they won’t serve us.
Will you show us your support for Cockney’s and our high streets by signing this petition?
And Josh Barrie’s article appeared in the Standard last week:
‘Ruth Phillips, from Cockney’s on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, said she cannot afford to see her rent doubled in what is already a challenging time for small, independent businesses.
Ruth told the Standard she believes the property agent involved in the management of her tenancy is asking for the rise.
She told the newspaper: “It’s disgraceful. I’ve been here for more than three decades. The people I serve now used to come in as babies, and now they come in with their own.”
“I don’t understand why they’re trying to raise my rent by so much. They keep telling me there are other people waiting to take my unit.”
She added: “Each rent review in the past has been manageable – about £5,000. They’re saying the area is a vibrant, changing area. It wouldn’t be without places that serve the community, though, would it?”
The Standard has seen letters asking for rent “in the region of £63,000” and has contacted both the landlord and the property agent to ask about the rent review.
Phillips said she is unsure whether the landlord is aware that the property agent is asking for the rent to be raised by so much.
She opened Cockney’s 31 years ago and continues to run the shop with the help of her family. Ruth uses a recipe dating back more than 100 years, given to her by an old shopkeeper.
The pie and mash shop is now one of two still remaining in West London. The other is Bush Pie & Mash on the Uxbridge Road, with A. Cooke on the much-changed Goldhawk Road calling time in 2015.
Cockney’s draws a diverse crowd and one of its most famous fans is Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, who always gets pie and mash when back in town.
The news comes as a new report, and seven-point plan, were launched in a bid to better preserve one of London’s most famous specialties.
Spearheaded by the comedian Rob Beckett and Professor Rebecca Earle from the University of Warwick, the ‘Pie ‘n’ Mash Futures’ report says the dish is interwoven into London’s “identity and heritage” and is calling for a more sustainable landscape for sellers of the dish.
Beckett, from Mottingham in South-East London, said: “Enjoying pie and mash is now a way for me to remember who I am, and where I’m from. It goes back not just to my roots, but my family before me.”
“It has a history and a heritage, that’s almost unique in London now. Let’s ensure future generations can enjoy the same privilege.”
Cockney’s, 314 Portobello Road. 020 8960 9409
And the petition can be found via this link: https://actionnetwork.
Steve Russell