Give councils much greater licensing powers to tackle irresponsible retailers, says LGA

Councils should be given greater powers to tackle retailers who sell alcohol in an irresponsible way, the Local Government Association has claimed.

Cllr Chris White, chair of the LGA culture, tourism and sport board, warned against blanket restrictions, which he said would punish responsible licence holders and well behaved drinkers.

White said that the issue of cheap alcohol being sold by supermarkets and other shops needed to be addressed urgently.

He added: “There is no doubt that councils with city centres which are blighted by drunks picking fights or people being taken ill on the streets need to be able to act against premises selling alcohol in irresponsible ways.

“There has been some progress in giving town halls the powers they need to do this effectively, but there is more councils could do if they were properly trusted to tackle their own local situations.”

White said it was “pointless” to restrict the operation of local bars and pubs if individuals can load up on cheap, strong cider or beer before they leave their own homes.

“At a time when many pubs are going out of business, responsible licence holders should not have to pay the ultimate price for groups of people in city centres who don’t know when to call it a night,” the LGA chief said.

The government promised in the Queen’s Speech to overhaul the Licensing Act 2003 to give local authorities and the police stronger powers to remove licenses from, or refuse to grant licenses to, any premises that are causing problems.

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill will also see the banning of the sale of alcohol below cost price and allow councils to charge more for late-night licenses to pay for additional policing.