Bath: we want more powers'

by John Harrington

Councillors in Bath are making their own bid to persuade the Government to give local authorities greater powers over licensing before the second appointed day in November.

They voted to push the Government to allow councils tohave more power to refuse new licences, and to ban happy hour and all-inclusive drinks promotions, at a meeting of Bath & Somerset Council last week.

But the Conservative councillor who proposed the motion hit out at her party for not voicing their opposition to the Act earlier.

The motion that was passed by the councillors called for the Act to be postponed until "revised licensing laws addressing concerns related to binge drinking are introduced".

This includes extending the provision for saturation zones, "leaving local councils free to decide whether there are already enough bars or pubs in a neighbourhood".

It also wants to stop all-inclusive drinks deals by allowing councils to attach such bans as a licensing condition. An amendment, put in by Lib Dem councillor David Bellotti, extended this ban to happy hours.

The council plans to write to the Government and local MPs to persuade them to back its plans.

Tory councillor Sarah Webb, who proposed the motion, said: "It is the general public opinion that extending drinking is expanding drinking, and people generally feel it's likely to aggravate disorder."

Webb conceded that it is a "fairly hopeless situation", because the Government is determined to press ahead with the reform. "This is about firing a shot across the bow andmaking them think they should look carefully [at implementing the Act]."

But she added: "It is interesting that they have not set adate [for the Second Appointed Day] so maybe they are keeping in reserve the idea of postponing it."