Licensees, police and councils should work together to tackle problem drinking

That’s according to licensing lawyer Niall McCann who explained that if all bodies do not work together, then you get a level of mistrust. He was speaking at the Westminster Social Policy Forum and Westminster Health Forum Keynote Seminar – Alcohol: next steps for policy following the Government's new strategy.

McCann said: “Local communities work best when all sections of society work together. On a daily basis I see suspicion and mistrust. I think people have to tackle the problem at a local level without fear of reprisal.”

He used the example of a 17-year-old is found slumped in the corner of a nightclub. He said that rather than call the ambulance and police to find out how the child got to that state, the licensee is more likely to kick the child out of the club in fear of getting their premises licence reviewed or being prosecuted.

He added: “Generally the best decisions are made when all parties work together. I’ve seen where licencing sub-committees have an open approach, you generally get a reasoned and sound decision. I would ask people to work together in a good spirit, if not it just preciprotates mistrust.”

McCann also hit out at late-night levy and early morning restriction orders, which are set to impact pubs and bars that trade after midnight. He said: “I would say that these are pretty blunt instruments and don’t actually reflect a tailored approach.

“In my view if an operator is responsible and makes a positive contribution, for example paying for a dedicated bus service, they should be supported or rewarded. Conversly, operators that refuse to tackle problems should be punished. There’s already power under the Licensing Act 2003 to do this.”

McCann added: “Also the difficulty with EMROs and LNL is that it’s actually based on geographical location. This means that operators and patrons will look to the peripheries of the late-night economy and the risk is that the problems will expand or move elsewhere.”