BBPA attacks police pay plan

Government proposals to ask licensees to pay for extra police officers have been dismissed by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) as "not acceptable".

The BBPA has said it is worried the plans could eventually mean licences are only given to publicans who can afford to pay for police.

The proposals were contained in the police reform white paper, which was released in December.

At the time, the Home Office denied the charges would be a "stealth tax" and said publicans who did not take part in the voluntary scheme would continue to receive the same levels of policing as before.

But the BBPA has responded to the proposals by saying that asking licensees to pay for policing has never been seen as a "viable solution".

It said it was important the police were "seen by the public at large to be independent and impartial", something that could be at risk if licensees had paid for their services.

The association also raised concerns that the white paper mentioned "balancing police costs and licensing arrangements".

"We do not fully understand what this means," said the BBPA's response to the Government. "But we are concerned it implies that not volunteering to be involved in funding schemes would have an adverse impact on licence applications."

It said eventually this could mean licences were granted on financial merit rather than to responsible publicans.

A similar scheme introduced in Manchester's busy Peter Street last year was used as an example by the Government in the white paper. However, the BBPA said it called into question how voluntary the scheme was.

"We are dismayed that the white paper has chosen to specify that one company declined to contribute to the Peter Street scheme," it said.

The trade believes that along with Pubwatch and Crime and Disorder Partnerships, the best way to prevent trouble is to reform licensing hours.

"Our licensing laws are so out-of-date they have become almost useless," the BBPA wrote. "We have seen two deregulated New Year's Eves and both nights have been hugely successful."

The Government is now considering the proposals contained in the white paper and the responses.