Westminster City Council leader speaks out over licensing
The leader of Westminster City Council has called on the government to review the fee structure, guidance and emporary events notices under the Licensing Act.
Speaking at a Local Government Association conference today Simon Milton argued that Westminster has learnt many lessons in the seven months since the start of the new regime. He says local authorities can uphold a strong licensing policy, working with local police is essential and well informed local residents are crucial.
He has also accused large licensed premises of carrying great clout and says it is crucial that local councillors be properly trained so they have the confidence to stand up to them.
More importantly, local authorities have been given very little discretion and have been hindered from carrying out their work due to the prescriptive nature of the Act. He has slammed the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for failing to understand this.
Mr Milton said: "There is no clear indication yet of how the Act has panned out as anecdotal evidence from across the country differs but it is clear that it is too early to herald a bright new dawn courtesy of the DCMS.
"There is still much that needs to be sorted out. Local authorities are losing money in fees which the tax payer has to pick up whilst temporary events notices are being used by premises which have had longer hour applications turned down.
"By having a robust licensing policy in Westminster we have managed to keep a lid on the worst excesses that were predicted and we have not lost an appeal yet in our stress areas. The DCMS must show however that it understands the challenges that local authorities face and not just concentrate on the wishes of the licensed trade."
