Pubs must show commitment to responsible drinking says Jean Coussins, director of The Portman Group.
The trade's activities are under the spotlight, with the government publicly warning that new laws may be introduced unless drinks sellers can voluntarily raise responsibility standards across the board.
The police-led summer Alcohol Enforcement Campaign highlighted the challenges, and the results showed that the trade was not doing as well as it should be in dealing with sales to drunk or underage customers.
One response of some major pub chains has been to develop responsible retailing codes of practice to set strict rules and standards across their own estates. But they're not worth the paper they're printed on if they're not put into practice. Pubs and pubcos need to show real commitment, not tokenism, by ensuring that training, monitoring and effective sanctions are in place to back up the rules.
Recently Yates and Mitchells & Butlers introduced their own codes which include crackdowns on irresponsible happy hours, working with local authorities to create a safer environment and offering competitively priced soft drinks.
Yet recent press coverage of an independent nightclub running a "£7 admission and 1p a drink" promotion shows that it only needs a small number of operators to continue this kind of activity for the whole trade to get a bad name.
To tackle underage sales, all retailers should routinely ask for PASS-accredited ID such as The Portman Group's card. And retailers shouldn't run promotions which encourage immoderate drinking, appeal to under 18s or allude to drugs, violence, sex or drink driving. Staff training and joining forces with other pubs, local authorities and police in community initiatives to tackle alcohol harm, are activities that good retailers should be doing, with or without codes. They can really help foster the climate of encouraging responsible drinking. They also help protect barstaff and managers from trouble with rowdy customers and ensure that the law is not broken nor the licence jeopardised.