A Cornish MP has toasted the Dolphin Inn at Grampound which will have new landlords in time for Christmas following a petition to retain it as an asset of community value.

After Cornwall Council declined to extend its special status, Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, presented a petition to parliament and the decision was reversed, giving the community ‘first dibs’ over community ownership of the asset until December 2029.

Signatories urged the government to lend support to the pub, acknowledging that it furthers to the social wellbeing and cultural, recreational and sporting interests of the local community.

St Austell Brewery advertised the pub for a freehold sale and put in place temporary management. It is understood that new tenant landlords will be taking over permanently as of November 25. In parallel, the community still has five years to mount a campaign to buy the freehold of the pub.

Mr Law said: “This is a victory for People Power. Around one quarter of voters in the village signed a petition for the House of Commons to declare the Dolphin Inn as an Asset of Community Value.

“As an MP, it is my job to reflect and deliver the wishes of local people. Thanks to support from Cornwall Council, my work delivering the petition to Parliament, and now the helpful response of St Austell Brewery, the Dolphin looks set to continue trading as a pub for the foreseeable future."

The changes were announced alongside the Long Live the Local campaign - designed to celebrate the contribution of pubs to the economy, culture, heritage and society.

Mr Law added: “It is worrying that over 6,000 pubs and bars closed from 2010 to 2023, with many still struggling to recover from the pandemic, as well as having been hit by the cost-of-living crisis.

“But I am also pleased to see that entrepreneurial spirit is alive in St Austell - with new landlords coming in at the Dolphin Inn and the Polgooth Inn – both great pubs within five miles of each other – which shows it’s not all doom and gloom for the sector, as some would have us believe.”