Government to force late-night pubs and bars to pay for policing and ASB measures

The government is planning to require pubs and bars that stay open after 11 pm to pay a “law and order” levy, according to press reports at the weekend.

The Observer said that councils would be given the power to charge additional premises fees for late-night licences, with the payment linked to the establishment’s popularity.

This would run alongside new powers to reduce the number of outlets selling alcohol, it added.

The paper also said that the government is looking at changing the wording on licence applications so that pubs, bars and clubs wanting to have extended hours must show that it offers a tangible “benefit” to the community.

According to both The Observer and The Sunday Telegraph, Theresa May has been pressing for responsibility for licensing to be moved from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to the Home Office.

Organisations such as the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Police Federation are understood to have been lobbying for a tougher approach to disorder caused by alcohol.

The Observer said other proposals being worked on include doubling the fines payable by shopkeepers who sell alcohol to under-age drinkers to £20,000.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We want to give police and local authorities more powers to strip problem premises of licences. A review of alcohol taxation and pricing will also be undertaken to ensure it tackles binge drinking without penalising responsible drinkers, pubs and important local industries.”