‘Earning a crust is tough without council support’

A retiring sandwich shop owner has accused Bath and North East Somerset Council of not offering support to independent businesses. Robin Mumme, 63, has been working in Bath for more than 40 years, since he was 21. In 1976 Mr Mumme opened a takeaway business next door to where he later opened the sandwich shop, on Upper Borough Walls, in 1986. The takeaway shut around 15 years ago but the closure of The Butter Pat sandwich shop on Friday was the end of an era for him. And he fears the building will stand empty now he has handed back the keys to the council. “Several things have driven us out,” Mr Mumme said. “A lot of it, unfortunately, is that in the 70s we had the old Bath city council and most of the councillors were local business people themselves. “They understood the trials and tribulations. “The council no longer supports the small, independent businesses. Rates kill us and rents kill us. “As far as I’m concerned there is no support from the council anymore. That’s why in the last 10 years we’ve seen so many independent businesses leave Bath.” The Butter Pat has closed after the lease on the shop, which is rented directly from Bath and North East Somerset Council, ended. Mr Mumme said he simply couldn’t justify the risks with several challenges facing the business. He added: “Unfortunately the figures just don’t add up anymore. “I think one day the council will rue the day. The latest thing is the parking charges going up. “You can go to places like Melksham and Frome and get free parking, where you’ll find lots of busy little independents. “They [the council] just think that Bath being Bath, somebody will always come here. “But if you speak to people from Cardiff who visit every Christmas, they come for the independent shops. The reality is there aren’t that many anymore.” The final day of trading at The Butter Pat was tinged with sadness for Mr Mumme and his brother Simon - despite the long, tough days. A typical day started at 5am for the brothers and their manager, who is the only other member of staff affected by the closure, according to Mr Mumme. “It is sad because I’m Bath born and bred,” Mr Mumme said. “The independent guys like us are disappearing, one after another. “If I were to keep going, I’d be better off opening in Trowbridge or somewhere like that, where prices are lower and there’s not as much competition.” The opening hours of the sandwich shop were 9am to 5pm. But what set The Butter Pat apart was a focus on fresh, homemade ingredients across the board, which took time and hard work. Mr Mumme explained: “Our selling point was that every filling in our sandwich was homemade. “We cooked all our beefs, hams, porks and chickens ourselves.” In a ‘grab and go’ world, Mr Mumme admitted this might have become a disadvantage in recent years. Now though, he will have time to focus on other projects. He plans to keep busy running two businesses that started out as hobbies linked to his love of acting. One, called ‘Murder We Wrote,’ is a murder mystery experience with a twist. While the other offers comedy waiters for events at evenings and weekends. So far these side projects have taken Mr Mumme as far away as Monte Carlo and he is excited about having more time to give to them. There will also be more opportunities to see his young granddaughter, Matilda, who lives with his daughter in London. And of course there will a few extra moments every day for sleep. “I’m looking forward to a lie in during my retirement,” he added.