Licensing Bill update

By Keith Miller of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson Wilson​

By the time you read this, the House of Lords will have debated the Licensing Bill still further at committee stage in readiness for its arrival in the House of Commons in March.

More than 400 amendments have been tabled in the process so far, although most of these have been opposition amendments since withdrawn but which were designed to explore government thinking behind the bill.

Once the committee stage has been completed, the bill will receive its report back to the full House of Lords, which is likely to take place in the early part of next month.

The government will then enlighten us all on whether it is or is not prepared to accept representations, which have been made in relation to the bill.

However, that is not the end of the ability to lobby Parliament, because the House of Commons will then get its teeth into the bill.

So if you have concerns over any detailed aspects of the bill's proposals and want to ensure that your voice is heard in our supposedly democratic process, now is the time to collect your thoughts, stick them down on paper and send them to your local MP.

In the next few articles we will be explaining what effect the bill, as it presently stands, will have on you and your business. This is no time for ostriches' heads and sandpits. It will affect you, so make sure you keep yourself informed.