Crime and disorder, binge drinking and the Licensing Act 2003

This paper provides a critique of the assumptions underlying the Licensing Act 2003 and the claims made for the allegedly beneficial effects of the Act in regard to reducing the problems of binge drinking.

Contrary to the Government’s claims, there is no convincing evidence that extended drinking hours or staggered closing will reduce binge drinking or drunkenness. The evidence gathered by the Home Office does not support the claim that the present system of permitted hours is even a minor, let alone the principal cause of binge drinking. Evidence from other jurisdictions suggests that drunkenness may be increased by later trading hours.