Described as an opportunity to “tear up outdating licensing rules”, it welcomes submissions from licensed businesses and trade bodies; local authorities and licensing officers; police and other enforcement agencies; cultural and community organisations; residents’ advocacy groups; legal, planning and regulatory professionals; public health organisations; local news publishers and members of the public.
Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, said:
“These proposed reforms, developed without adequate input from policing, ambulance services, local licensing authorities, health experts or citizens, are a charter for chaos. Some of the biggest concerns of people across the country are safer streets and less anti-social behaviour, yet these proposed reforms would achieve the opposite.
“Research published this week from the Institute of Public Policy Research shows that investment in alcohol sales has a negative, not positive, impact on economic growth. The only growth these reforms will deliver is growth in the number of victims of crime, in A&E waiting times, and in the alcohol-related health conditions, absenteeism and presenteeism that actively undermine our national productivity. The reforms would also likely lead to more pub closures, as ever more alcohol licences are spread even more thinly. This supports the major pub companies at the expense of the small independent pubs that so many of us love to visit.
“The reforms also undermine local authority powers, contrary to the Government’s commitment to devolution and localism. Some of these measures are explicitly designed to circumvent the local democracies that are currently working hard to protect their communities – especially the most deprived areas which already have the highest density of alcohol licences.
“There is plenty this Government could do to support the wider hospitality and leisure industries - theatres, cinemas, restaurants, sports clubs, hotels – that will deliver meaningful growth without increased alcohol harm. And there are plenty of reforms needed to the Licensing Act, which currently fails to protect children and vulnerable people from, for example, rapid online deliveries. But not these reforms.”
Read more about the call for evidence and ways to respond: Reforming the licensing system - GOV.UK
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