Planned changes to licensing laws would drown pubs in more red tape

3rd September 2010, 3:32pm

Planned Government reforms to the UK’s licensing laws risk drowning Britain’s much-loved pubs in higher costs and more red tape, the British Beer &Pub Association warned today.

Instead, the BBPA wants a more positive approach that uses the huge array of existing laws sensibly and works in partnership with pubs. The BBPA comments come in a submission to the current Home Office consultation on reforms to the UK's Licensing Act.

The BBPA says that while it fully supports the Government's objective of tackling binge drinking and anti-social behaviour, many of the measures set out by the Government in June would seriously threaten the businesses of thousands of well-run pubs that form the heart of Britain's hospitality and tourism industry.

The BBPA is calling for an alternative approach on many of the key proposals, that would streamline decision-making and cut red tape. Key BBPA proposals would:

• Make local licensing officers the responsible authority under the decision-making process, rather than licensing authorities, as this would speed up the process and help protect its independence. Current government proposals would see licensing authorities acting as both judge and jury and would go against natural justice.

• End the obligation on local councils to conduct costly, wholesale reviews of their licensing policies every three years, only consulting on changes where local people have raised real concerns. With over 300 local licensing authorities nationwide, this could save millions of council taxpayers cash.

• Clarify who can make representations under the act, by making the definition of 'vicinity' the same as that in the Gambling Act, broadening its scope while keeping the process open and manageable.

• Support plans to introduce measures to prevent below-cost selling, provided that cost cannot be set at a local level, and with further consideration needed on how this might work in practice.

The BBPA has expressed strong concerns about key proposals, in particular, the plans to remove the right of appeal for pubs in the licensing process, which will cause an unfair balance of power in the whole regime. Plans to let police evidence go unchallenged, to allow local authorities to bring complaints and then decide on them and then to impose the decision made before an appeal is heard, are all challenged by the Association, as are plans for a new 'late night levy.'

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, commented: "We are four-square behind the Government in its objective to tackle binge-drinking and alcohol-related crime, which is bad for the country and bad for business. We want to work with Government, but fundamental change needs a longer and deeper conversation than what the Government is now proposing.

"Some of the measures, while well-intentioned, will have the effect of imposing extra costs and regulations on well-run pubs while barely touching the real problem. Almost 70%, and rising, of alcohol consumed in the UK is bought from the off-trade, yet it is licensed premises that bear the brunt of these proposed changes.

"Pubs are a vital part of the economic and social fabric of communities up and down Britain, and the industry is slowly recovering from recession. New burdens of the sort proposed would be a big blow. The Government needs to think again on some of these proposals and we want to work with them on this."

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