Crisis as licensing reform slips into meltdown chaos
Full scale of the bureaucracy and red tape is at last revealed
by Tony Halstead
Transition to the new licensing system is at crisis point this week as the full scale of the bureaucracy and red tape engulfing licensees was revealed.
Applications for new licences are still running at a dangerously low level as hosts struggle to understand the complexities of the procedures and the sheer volume of form-filling required under the new act.
Six weeks into the transition period, scores of local councils have still to receive a single application and some authorities are already warning they may not be able to make up the lost time.
The Local Government Asso-ciation (LGA), representing local councils across England & Wales, admits a crisis is looming. It is already looking at possible changes in the system to make applications easier and remove some of the administrative burdens imposed by councils.
The British Beer & Pub Asso-ciation is also urging local government to move quickly to ease some of the red tape surrounding the conversion procedures.
BBPA communications director Mark Hastings says local authorities are adding to the problem by writing in a series of additional requirements.
"Some councils have not just gold plated the legislation but diamond encrusted it, demanding far more requirements than originally proposed in the Act.
"The LGA should not be surprised it is taking people far more time to get through the process. Councils are imposing additional costs and complexities to the scale of change and while some have done a good job others have gone way over the top," he said.
Hastings said one council, which was insisting on hosts carrying out lighting risk assessments on buildings so it did not interfere with aircraft, was an indication of the scale of unreality.
Another authority had suggested customers should not be admitted into pubs after 11pm which defied the central objective of the new act.
Problems of licensing were discussed at a meeting between the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and the British Beer and Pub Association, among others, on Tuesday.
BBPA chief executive Rob Hayward said: "It was an opportunity to pursue the elements of the licensing regulations that are causing us grievances. Hopefully some of these will be resolved urgently."
l Leader column p17
l Coulson's advice p18
