LGA attacks proposals to deregulate tourism and hospitality sectors

Proposals to deregulate the tourism and hospitality sectors “could lead to an increase in underage binge drinking, takeaways filling high streets and small businesses being delayed from expanding”, the Local Government Association has claimed.

In a report published in January, the Tourism Regulation Taskforce – led by Alan Parker, President of the British Hospitality Association – called for major changes to rules on planning and use classes, licensing, food labelling, health and safety, and employment.

The LGA said it supported many of the taskforce’s suggestions for cutting red tape. However, it expressed concern at proposals to:

• relax the ‘two strikes no excuses’ approach to businesses selling alcohol to under-18s. The taskforce has proposed scrapping this approach and replacing it with one where licensees are penalised only if they can be proven to have known the buyer was underage;
• liberalise change of retail use guidelines so new businesses could set up without local residents having a say. “These proposals could see a family restaurant being turned into a chicken takeaway or a quiet pub transformed into nightclub without the local community having a say,” the LGA said;
• re-structure the licensing process. The LGA said it was opposed to a plan to introduce an annual payment date for premises licences. Councils would have to deal with a glut of renewals and alterations leading to long delays in processing, it warned;
• allow appeals against council decisions to refuse permission for an event on health and safety grounds. The Association argued that there were already adequate appeals processes, warning than another route would create an extra burden.

Cllr Flick Rea, Chair of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: “There’s great potential out there to boost tourism and reduce red tape in the hospitality industry. However, removing the onus on bar staff and cashiers to diligently check the age of customers will inevitably lead to more underage youngsters buying alcohol.”

Cllr Rea added that “cavalier” liberalisation of retail premises use not only frustrated a council’s role in making sensible local planning decisions, but meant residents were prevented from having a say on what appeared in their neighbourhoods and high streets.

“Such liberalisation can easily lead to characterful high streets rapidly becoming full of takeaways, generic coffee shops, chain pubs and bookies, something residents repeatedly tell us they don’t want,” she said.

Cllr Rea insisted that many of the regulations the taskforce wanted to do away with were “actually commonsense checks and balances which are there for good reasons”.

The LGA’s submission can be read here.