Westminster City Council slams Licensing Act guidance
Westminster City Council has slammed the government over the final version of the national guidance to the Licensing Act claiming it is "not worth the paper it's written on".
The council says the final draft of the document, which should outline the procedures that all local authorities must follow in administering the new licensing laws, lacks detail.
Councillor Audrey Lewis said: "The guidance is contradictory, full of holes, legally suspect and a virtually useless collection of bland statements that have no practical application.
"Even issues that the government has attempted to address, such as the cumulative impact of licensed premises in a particular area, are addressed in an incoherent way."
Last week, Liberal Democrat licensing spokesman Don Foster accused the government of not caring about the problems caused to the trade and local authorities as they await the final version of the guidance to be presented to Parliament.
Meanwhile, the new licensing laws will cost each pub more than £1,000 to implement, predicts leased and tenanted giant Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises (S&NPE).
The pub company has pledged to pay half - £500 - towards the cost of licensing reform for each of its 1,119 licensees.
S&NPE calculates the figure on the basis that: £300 for the professional production of business and building plans; £300 for the application fee; £300 for legal representations; £100 for a personal licence and £100 for local advertising.
S&NPE has been short-listed in the 2004 Publican Awards in the large tenanted estates category and for Retail Brand of the Year for its James H Porter concept.
Related articles:
LibDems blast continued delay of licensing reform (7 January 2004)
