Legislation

Dundee code

28-Nov-2002

Dundee Licensing Board is considering a code of practice for all licensees to tackle the contentious issue of minimum pricing, and seek to control...

Divided you fall, warns Jowell

28-Nov-2002

by Mike Bennett Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has issued a dramatic "unite or die" rallying call to the industry in her first major speech since the...

Hosts face a shake-up with new disability law

28-Nov-2002

by Tony Halstead Licensees could be ordered to make major structural alterations to pub interiors to provide better pro-vision for disabled...

Host's dress code keeps out family

28-Nov-2002

A licensee has banned members of his own family from his pub after introducing a strict dress code. Peter Atwell, who has just taken over the...

Smoke-free areas are not harming custom says survey

22-Nov-2002

Smoke-free areas in pubs will not harm trade, according to a new report. The results of a survey of more than 400 hospitality businesses, published...

Pitcher and Piano fined for allowing drinkers to move 'rhythmically'

21-Nov-2002

Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries (W&DB), owner of high street chain Pitcher & Piano, was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £1,600 costs...

Public blow to smoking charter

20-Nov-2002

The trade's success in self-regulating on smoking could hit a major snag due to a lack of public awareness.A consumer survey of smoking policies...

Local councils claim relaxed opening hours will lead to more crime and disorder

19-Nov-2002

Local councils have spoken out against the proposed relaxation of licensing hours claiming that it will lead to increased costs and more crime and...

Increase in duty continues to stifle PPS category

19-Nov-2002

The extra tax burden imposed by Gordon Brown earlier this year is continuing to stifle expansion of the premium packaged spirits category according...

Focus on reform

14-Nov-2002

The government has finally told the trade and pub-goers what they want to hear - licensing laws will be reformed, paving the way for pubs to open...

UK fear as Irish smoking ban comes into force

14-Nov-2002

Smoking is to be banned in pubs in the Irish Republic when food is being served, and is also to be outlawed in restaurants.The fear is the new law...

Council silenced

14-Nov-2002

by battling host by Tony Halstead A North Shields licensee has won a spectacular victory over his local authority, which tried to impose unreasonable...

Time to take action on New Year opening

08-Nov-2002

by Richard Williams of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson WilsonIf you are still waiting for legislation to be...

Doctors want smoking banned in all public places

07-Nov-2002

Doctors are calling for laws to ban smoking in all public places including pubs.The British Medical Association has published a report highlighting...

Drinks companies blamed for underage drinking

06-Nov-2002

Drinks companies are being blamed for children as young as 11 drinking to excess.A new report by charity Alcohol Concern shows that one in five...

Minimum price fixing - a legal point of view

06-Nov-2002

Minimum price fixing has been ruled unlawful by the DTIby Richard Williams of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson...

Time for some DIY? The legalities for lessees

04-Nov-2002

by Richard Williams of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson WilsonHave you got a nasty feeling that your pub lease...

Edinburgh Council cracks down on doorstaff with convictions

31-Oct-2002

Edinburgh council is cracking down on doorstaff with convictions for violence and other offences.New guidelines will ban repeat offenders from...

Good Pub Guide author slams smoking charter

29-Oct-2002

The success of the industry's charter on smoking could be damaged by comments made in the latest edition of the Good Pub Guide.In the introduction to...

Reform could switch live music off

25-Oct-2002

Campaigners have spoken out against proposals for licensing reform which they claim could mean the end of live music in pubs.There is concern that...

Ministers fail to honour promise for extended New Year hours

24-Oct-2002

Government efforts to allow 36-hour opening over New Year have been described as "shambolic" after news that ministers have yet again failed to pass...

Government says no to duty cut

24-Oct-2002

The government says it has no intention of cutting duty on beer despite public support for an end to its current efforts to tackle the rising tide of...

Chris Holmes believes market changes have turned his company

24-Oct-2002

His pubs, predominantly in the East Midlands, sell an average of 500-plus barrels of cask ale each year per pub, accounting for 90% of the draught...

Drugs: Policies and policing

23-Oct-2002

The proposed relaxation in the law concerning cannabis has led to confusion among customers and anger among licensees. Jackie Annett reports.With the...

MP slams demise of traditional pub

23-Oct-2002

The demise of the traditional pub has led to the growth in binge-drinking among teenagers, according to a Dudley MP.Ross Cranston, MP for Dudley...

Manchester licensees accused of ripping off customers

21-Oct-2002

Licensees in Manchester have been accused of ripping off customers after two pubs were caught substituting cheaper spirits for more expensive...

Read the smoke signals

18-Oct-2002

The industry has been accused of all sorts of things over its stance on smoking in pubs - not least dismissing concern over the effects of passive...

REFORM TIMETABLE PROMOTES DISSENT

17-Oct-2002

by The PMA Team The pub industry's two leading trade bodies, the British Beer & Pub Association and the Associa-tion of Licensed Multiple...

The Battle of Westminster

17-Oct-2002

Over the last two years, relations between the trade and Westminster City Council in London have been increasingly strained.The conflict stems from...

UK staff could sue employers over passive smoking

17-Oct-2002

Licensees in the UK face a growing threat of legal action by their staff over passive smoking following a test case in Canada.A Canadian waitress was...

Dealers told: keep drugs out of our pubs

17-Oct-2002

A new scheme which funds drugs awareness courses for licensees in Derby has proved so successful it may now be extended to other areas.Derbyshire...

Hosts risk legal action over noise

17-Oct-2002

by Tony Halstead Licensees and bar operators could face compensation claims from staff if they can show excessive noise levels in pubs and clubs have...

Oh dear, I've found a smoking gun. DCMS admit it's theirs

17-Oct-2002

It's a claim, in Appendix 4 of the White Paper, that licensing costs the average pub £1,000 to £7,000 per annum. What?? We might pay that for a...

Modernising stamp duty

15-Oct-2002

by David Clifton of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson WilsonNothing in life is certain except death and tax - so...

Code of practice for gambling machines

14-Oct-2002

by David Clifton of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson WilsonThe government has revealed plans for reform of the...

Avon and Somerset pubs to take extra measures to prevent drug use

11-Oct-2002

Publicans in Avon and Somerset are using new handheld drug detectors to help prevent illegal drug use on their premises.Licensees will be working...

OFT SKY INQUIRY DOOR STILL OPEN

10-Oct-2002

by The PMA Team The Office of Fair Trading has told the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers that the "door is not closed" in its investigation...

Migrant workers ruling welcomed

10-Oct-2002

by The PMA Team The British Hospitality Association has welcomed the decision by Home Secretary David Blunkett that the catering industry will be...

Rates battler loses Hart and calls time

10-Oct-2002

Rates campaigner Jim Sharp, who has fought for years for the survival of rural pubs, has thrown in the towel and closed his own pub. Sharp, who twice...

Rise in suicides linked to 'ladette' drinking

08-Oct-2002

The so-called "ladette" binge drinking culture may be responsible for a rise in suicide rates among young women, according to a leading scientist....

The legal ins and outs of recycling

07-Oct-2002

The packaging waste regulations ruling explainedby Richard Williams of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson...

Met' moan prompts a

03-Oct-2002

bruising from Bruning Good to see Mike Foster reads What's Brewing, the Camra newspaper. Of course, as Brakspear's chairman, you'd hope he would. But...

Flawed view brought to book

03-Oct-2002

Let me confront you, dear readers, with two of the burning issues of the day: What is the point of the British Beer & Pub Association; and is its...

Eat, drink and be merry. So the old saying goes. What if peo

03-Oct-2002

Yet despite the ever-increasing demand for snacks and confectionery, there is plenty of evidence that the licensed trade is missing out on making...

Smoking ban in UK pubs will lead to job losses

26-Sep-2002

Banning smoking in UK pubs could lead to a huge drop in trade and a loss of jobs according to new evidence.This news comes after licensees in...

thePublican.com presents licensing survey to government

19-Sep-2002

ThePublican.com is to present licensees' views on licensing reform to the government.Following concern over recent months that licensees were not...

Portman Group new code extended to include promotions

17-Sep-2002

Promotions, sponsorship deals, websites and branded merchandise have all been added to The Portman Group's new code of practice, which was launched...

Local council chaos?

12-Sep-2002

The recent actions of a number of local authorities across the country are causing concern within the pub trade. Michelle Perrett reportsIncreased...

Smear campaign fails to discredit UK's bid for duty harmonisation

12-Sep-2002

European Commissioners have been accused of adopting a smear campaign to discredit the UK beer trade's bid for duty harmonisation across Europe.The...

Decision to raise duty on FABs leads to sales slowdown

10-Sep-2002

The flavoured alcoholic beverage (FAB) sector has slowed down following Chancellor Gordon Brown's decision last April to raise duty by around 65 per...

Morning Advertiser

Useful links