Licensing practitioners slam plan to allow authorities to consider views of wider community

Almost two-thirds of members of the Institute of Licensing disagree with government plans to allow local authorities to consider the views of the wider community, not just of those close to premises.

Following the launch of the Home Office consultation, the deadline for submissions for which has just closed, the Institute received 234 responses to a survey of its membership of more than 1,500 individuals and 200 organisations. Some 76% of the respondents were in either the licensing or legal teams at a local authority.

The government’s proposals appear to have divided licensing practitioners. “Despite the overall majority of responses from a local authority background, there were relatively few areas of consensus (65%+),” the Institute revealed.

The survey showed hostility to an increase in the opportunities for local residents or their representative groups to be involved in licensing decisions, without regard to their immediate proximity to premises.

Some proposals in the consultation paper – described as the most radical shake-up of licensing in years – did receive widespread support. They were:

• Simplifying cumulative impact policies to allow licensing authorities to have more control over outlet density (68% agreed)
• Enabling licensing authorities to have flexibility in restricting or extending opening hours to reflect community concerns or preferences (77%)
• Repealing the power to establish alcohol disorder zones and allow licensing authorities to use a simple adjustment to the existing fee system to pay for any additional policing needed during late-night opening (79%)
• Overhauling the system of temporary event notices (71%). This would include giving the police more time to object, enabling all responsible authorities to object, increasing the notification period and reducing the number that can be applied for by personal licence holders.
• Introducing tougher sentences for persistent underage sales (79%)
• Triggering automatic licence reviews following persistent underage sales (80%)
• Enabling local authorities to increase licensing fees so they are based on full cost recovery (81%)
• Enabling licensing authorities to revoke licences due to non-payment of fees (86%).

The Institute said it would not give a formal view on the proposals “since it is impossible on this occasion to accurately reflect the views of the membership”.

It highlighted backing for the Best Bar None scheme and for similar initiatives within the initiatives within the industry to be recognised when considering reductions for any late night levy.