Extended pub hours

Ministers are readying themselves for bad headlines as the new licensing regime, which permits longer pub hours and 24-hour drinking, comes into effect at midnight.

 

Government Response: Tessa Jowell and Charles Clarke

 

Culture secretary Tessa Jowell said: "The vast majority of adults drink alcohol. Most people live within walking distance of a pub or bar. Alcohol is part of our national life.

 

"That's why these new laws are so important. For too long we have allowed a small minority to rule the streets at night and our main recourse has been a national curfew. This was unfair in principle and wrong in practice.

 

"From today we have got our priorities right. Yobbish behaviour will be cracked down on and adults will be treated like grown ups.

 

"Getting the national relationship with alcohol right is a massive undertaking. This is only the start, but it's a vital first step.

 

"The one thing this act isn't about is encouraging 24-hour drinking. Indications are that one half of one percent of licensees have applied for a 24-hour licence and many of them do not intend to use it regularly."

 

Home Secretary Charles Clarke added: "We are determined to tackle alcohol related violence and anti-social behaviour in all its forms and crack down on those who encourage it by irresponsible retailing.

 

"We believe that the Licensing Act will help to reduce alcohol fuelled disorder by providing the police with new tough powers to close down problem bars and increase penalties for premises that sell to underage drinkers, while at the same time ensuring that the law abiding majority can enjoy a drink when they wish." 

 

Stakeholder Response: British National Temperance League

 

 

A spokesperson for BNTL told ePolitix.com: "BNTL have never supported the relaxation of the licensing act to allow 24-hour drinking. However we do acknowledge that more than likely the immediate outcome this weekend will not be noticeable. 

 

"We do feel though as time progresses that there will be a rise in anti social behaviour as a direct result of over drinking, a rise in alcohol fuelled violence and alcohol fuelled injuries thus costing the NHS more than £1.7 million we are paying out today.

 

"The government says that the relaxation of the licensing laws will liberate people and allow them to enjoy a drink after an evening at the cinema or theatre as our continental cousins do. 

 

"However our culture is not made up like that, our inner cities are crammed with ex-banks, ex-fire stations and even ex-churches turned into vertical drinking establishments were the main aim is to cram as many people in and get them to drink as much as they can and now for even longer hours. 

 

"We do not have a restrained attitude to alcohol in Britain if that was so when on holiday in Spain or Greece the streets would not be littered with drunken young British men and women; whose sole aim is to get as drunk as possible through the night and sleep it off around the pool the next day.

 

"Time alone will tell how this relaxation of the law will affect our towns and cities we can only hope that our and other’s predictions of a rise in crime and violence due to alcohol will not come true."

 

Stakeholder Response: RoyalCollege of Physicians 

 

 

Professor Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Royal College of Physicians' Alcohol Committee, said: "The government has ignored expert advice from around the world that the main drivers of alcohol-fuelled damage are price and availability, and so we fear that relaxation of licensing laws will lead to more drunkenness, alcohol-related illness and social order problems.

 

"The UK's millennium-old traditions of binge drinking are not suddenly going to change overnight into continental-style moderate consumption.  We expect our A&E units will feel the pressure, and the long-term effects will be damaging to the health of our young people.

 

"Recent initiatives from alcohol retailers, such as stopping serving the under-age or drunk, have clearly failed.  We call on the Government to put a 1% levy on the drinks industry’s £30bn turnover so that independent research can help provide some real answers to this country’s rising tide of alcohol misuse."

 

Stakeholder Response: British Retail Consortium

 

 

"The new licensing laws will give retailers an opportunity to meet the needs of all customers and adapt to the changes in consumers lifestyles.

 

"It is only natural that they want to take advantage of this. Retailers sell a range of goods and alcohol is just a small element of the grocery shop, so customers should be able to exercise the choice to buy alcohol regardless of the time of day.

 

"However, retailers also recognise their responsibilities when it comes to selling alcohol. The industry is committed to working with the government where possible to help crack down on alcohol related problems.

 

"Retailers are using their resources in following responsible retailing principles which include not selling to those they suspect are underage, drunk or are buying for minors.

 

"We have also recently formed the Alcohol Retailing Standards Group, a cross industry initiative to ensure a coordinated and consistent approach to tackling under age sales.

 

"The group will reinforce the commitment to the 'Challenge 21' principle and the 'No ID No Sale' message in addition to strengthening existing staff training programmes as a priority.

Stakeholder Response: Civic Trust

 

 

 

A spokesperson for the Civic Trust told ePolitix.com: "With new licensing laws coming into effect at midnight, the Civic Trust, is urging towns and cities across the country to join its campaign for a more inclusive, better managed evening economy.

 

"The Trust is asking local authorities to follow the London Assembly’s lead and support the drive towards later opening of museums and galleries, and better integrated management in town centres.

 

"Recent research by the Civic Trust into night-time facilities in England’s town centres, as part of its three-year programme on managing the evening economy, has identified that one of the solutions to combating the alcohol-related monoculture in town centres – and creating more accessible places for people from a wide range of ages and backgrounds – is to provide a range of activities that do not necessarily involve retail spending or alcohol consumption.

 

"The Trust’s research (with the University of Westminster) has also identified the value of extending town centre management, to provide a more joined up approach to the management of town centres at night. 

 

"The aim – and the only route to success – should be a ‘seamless web’ of management 9 to 5 and 5 to 9.  The Trust’s research identified many inspiring examples of good practice around the country, but fewer that were integrated and strategic - and scarcely any that had inclusiveness as their aim.

 

"Appointing a Town Centre Manager dedicated to the management of centres in the evening and night time would be a huge step in the right direction, and the Trust is calling on towns and cities across England to follow the London Assembly’s lead and support town centre managers.

 

"And the Civic Trust also wants to see a commitment to good partnership.  The Trust’s research has shown that integrated management is most successful when it is built on strong partnerships.  The picture is rapidly evolving and there are many practical liaison groups like Westminster Civic Watch and licensee forums, but there are disappointingly few strategic partnerships. 

 

"These need to be encouraged, and more should be done to share good practice between and within different sectors. For example, in addition to local authority innovation, there are examples of developers who carefully control their commercial tenant mix or who design their buildings to shield residents from street noise, as well as techniques for designing out crime in the public realm. 

 

"The Trust concurs with the London Assembly’s view that BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) are an important tool for funding management of the evening economy, but its research shows that these are not universally supported by business, nor do they always yield enough funds.  On their own, BIDs are not the answer. 

 

"The Civic Trust has called for government to return some of the £22bn income from the alcohol industry to the locality, via the annual rate support grant settlement, as a specific budget category.

 

"The Licensing Act 2003 is a necessary step forward, but the Trust has also identified the need for creativity and vision if we are to ensure town centres at night are not just well managed and safe but are also innovative, exciting and desirable places to spend time, for both visitors and residents.

 

"A recent report commissioned by the Civic Trust, from the Erskine Corporation, looks at the future of the evening economy and identifies some of the more innovative new formats emerging, such as family friendly venues, multi purpose arts and entertainment venues and products geared to older patrons.

 

"The latest Trust research, a further part of the three-year programme, is focusing on consumer aspirations, with the aim of emphasising the diversity of what people want, and what would make more town centres more attractive to more people.

 

"Local authorities and businesses need to commit to effective management and partnerships to develop town centres in the evening – and the Trust is supportive of any and all creative solutions to combating what its research shows is currently an alcohol monoculture in many town centres."