A village with no pub is a “pretty plain place,” according to Yorkshire’s tourism chief.

Sir Gary Verity has spoken of the importance of licensed premises, hammering home the message “Don’t lose the pub.”

The high-profile chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “Prince Charles speaks an awful lot of sense in terms of rural issues and has done for years.

“Everyone thought he was crackers to start with, now everyone’s coming round to his way of thinking.

“One of the things he speaks passionately about is the ‘Pub is the Hub’ and I think that’s absolutely right. I think a village without a pub is a pretty plain sort of place.”

Speaking at a meeting in Settle about issues facing rural communities, Sir Gary also spoke about being inspirational in retail, rather than boring and said he did not believe the high street was dead.

But he said changes like having flexible opening times so working people can shop were things to look at.

“Whatever we do today has to be relevant. We have to be fleet of foot and better than we ever were in the past,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of transport and that everyone shares the road whether in a car, bus or on a bicycle.

Those attending the meeting were made up of local dignitaries, residents and members of organisations.