Regulars at a Bradford pub will tonight be raising their glasses to celebrate a famous victory that would surely have brought a smile to the face of the great statesman it is named after.

The Winston Churchill’s future, in the short to medium term at least, looks secure as a public house after a local firm decided not to push ahead with a deal to purchase and develop it.

And it is a decision that shows how harsh economic realities can sometimes be trumped by the spirit of the community.

Pitts Wilson Electrical Ltd, the Bradford company which wanted to bulldoze the pub to create a car park, clearly believed that plan would be a worthwhile venture.

But it has shown welcome generosity after seeing the full extent of local outrage about the loss of yet another pub, and should be given full credit for this gesture.

Regulars may have thought they were fighting a losing cause with their protests against the proposed development. But fight they did, and their example shows how standing up to protest can have an effect – something worth bearing in mind for others as more and more pubs face the prospect of closure.

For companies that place value on their goodwill in the community, adverse publicity of the type this saga attracted may be enough to persuade them not to push ahead with schemes to develop much-loved and valued community pubs.

The landlady and locals have won a battle and that victory is worth drinking to. Now we have to hope that the war will be won by the pub being bought and saved as an ongoing concern.