Overhaul of Licensing Act to give communities more power to tackle crime

Proposals for tough new measures to crack down on problem premises and more powers for local communities to infl uence licensing decisions have been unveiled by the government. Ahead of a major speech on antisocial behaviour, Home Secretary, Theresa May, outlined a range of options to overhaul the Licensing Act. Measures for consultation include:

making it easier for communities to have their say on local licensing by allowing local authorities to consider the views of the wider community, not just those living close to premises

taking tough action against underage drinking by doubling the fine to £20,000 for those found persistently selling alcohol to children, extending orders that see premises closed on a voluntary basis to a minimum of seven days and bringing in automatic licence reviews for these problem premises – which can see licences revoked

charging a fee for latenight licences to pay for the cost of extra policing and scrapping ineffective, bureaucratic and unpopular Alcohol Disorder Zones

ensuring policing and health concerns are fully considered so that the impact of licensing on crime and disorder or public health can be fully taken into account when assessing licence applications

increasing licence fees so that local councils can cover costs linked to enforcement, leaving premises to pay, rather than the local taxpayer tightening up rules for temporary licences by limiting the number of Temporary Event Notices that can be applied for in any one year - these are often used to get around the restrictions of applying for a permanent licence

introducing a ban on the sale of below cost alcohol and consulting on how this can be achieved.

Home Secretary, Theresa May, said: “The benefits promised by the 24 hour drinking ‘café culture’ have failed to materialise and in its place we have seen an increase in the number of alcohol related incidents and drink-fuelled crime and disorder.

“We know that the majority of pubs and bars are well run businesses but the Government believes that the system needs to be rebalanced in favour of the local communities they serve with tougher action taken to crack down on the small number of premises who cause problems.”

Last year there were almost one million violent crimes that were alcohol related, with a fifth of all violent incidents taking place in or around a pub or club, and almost two-thirds of these happen at night. As well as this, the total cost of alcohol-related crime and disorder to the taxpayer is estimated to be between £8bn and £13bn.

The government’s public consultation will run for six weeks and seeks views on a range of proposals to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder.

The consultation paper, Rebalancing the Licensing Act – a consultation on empowering individuals, families and local communities to shape and determine local licensing, is available at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/consultations/

Labour elder statesman criticizes “Labour’s ghastly mistake”

Some Labour politicians also appear to support the Coalition’s policy of being tougher on alcohol licensing. Writing in the Daily Mail, Lord Hattersley, former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, described the introduction of 24-hour drinking as New Labour at its silliest. Lord Hattersley added:

“Looking back to 2003, when the new and undeniably disastrous licensing law was passed, it is almost impossible to understand why New Labour ministers expected anything except a rise in alcohol-related crime and nights of misery for honest citizens who lived near pubs, clubs and wine bars. The only answer to the conundrum is that this ghastly error represented New Labour at its silliest, as personified by Tessa Jowell, then the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, who pioneered the legislation and took responsibility for its implementation.”

Police chiefs as well as politicians have also criticised the Labour Government’s licensing reforms. Sir Hugh Orde, President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, agreed with the Coalition government’s view that the new licensing act was a mistake. And Sir Hugh told the BBC that those who benefited from longer licensing hours should help pay for the extra policing required.

Sir Hugh told the Andrew Marr Show: “I think 24-hour drinking frankly was probably a mistake. The culture in the UK is different from other parts of Europe, where it is far less threatening and far more successful. We need to take that legislation away and indeed I would welcome the notion that if we have longer licensing hours the people making the money pay for some of the policing that has to be put in place to keep those people safe when they’re out under the influence of alcohol.”

KENT police agreed. Ian Pointon, Chairman of the Kent Police Federation, said late-night drinking had created more problems than it had solved and had resulted in fewer officers being available to fight crime during the day.

Speaking to local media, Mr Pointon said: “I think the introduction of 24-hour drinking without the requisite change in culture was a mistake.

“The idea was that we would somehow develop a Continental café culture but that hasn’t happened, especially in town centres.

“The feedback from officers is that they’ve had more problems since the 24-hour laws came in.

“They’re also working into the early hours, which means they’re not available at other times of the day when the public would like to see them.

“It’s time to have a long, hard look at the licensing hours coupled with the drinking culture in this country.”

Mr Pointon’s criticism of 24-hour drinking is shared by Kent’s former Chief Constable Mike Fuller, who had warned against its introduction in an interview with local Kent in January, 2005.