We have submitted a response to the Home Office and the Department for Business and Trade’s call for evidence on reforming the licensing system.
The Licensing Taskforce was launched by HM Treasury in April 2025. It completed its work in May and published its report in July. Membership was largely made up of representatives from the alcohol and hospitality industries, and it was co-chaired by the CEO of Greene King.
It is concerning that these proposals were developed with limited input from policing, and apparently no input from ambulance services, local licensing authorities, or health practitioners — the people tasked with picking up the pieces when alcohol causes harms in their area.
The Government response, published on the same day as the Taskforce report, strongly supported its findings and committed to taking forward several of its recommendations.
These recommendations could reduce local control and weaken accountability in the licensing system. For example, they could make it harder for local licensing authorities to regulate the sale of alcohol in shops and online, even in areas with high levels of harm.
The Taskforce report also fails to recognise that its proposals will increase alcohol-related harm. They are at odds with other UK Government priorities, including building healthier communities, tackling preventable ill-health, creating safer streets and neighbourhoods, reducing violence against women and girls, and empowering communities to make changes in their local areas.
