Councils calling for risk assessments

A number of local authorities are calling for pubs to supply a risk assessment when applying for a new licence or varying their existing one.

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) recommends including a risk assessment in licence applications, but it is not compulsory and being forced to do so, even for minor variations, would mean more unnecessary form-filling for licensees.

Several councils are also proposing to force pubs to become members of pubwatch schemes, while others want to impose saturation policies to restrict new licences.

These are the initial findings of a survey by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) of the updated licensing policies that have been put out to consultation by councils.

BBPA director Martin Rawlings, who has studied around 60 draft policies, said: "A lot of them are offering their original policies and saying, 'should this be challenged?' That's a good thing and indicates that there have not been too many problems. Some of them are coming through with changes."

Rawlings said a small number of policies say pubs "should" or "must be" members of a pubwatch scheme.

"Others say 'it's something to consider' or 'we would expect'. 'We would expect' means if you don't do it, we won't give you a licence. You can't do that, it misleads

people.

"Policies should be clear as to what the council can and can't do."

He said that to operate effectively membership of a pubwatch should be voluntary.

Rawlings said a "fair number" of draft policies propose new saturation zones.

He hit out at a number of councils for only having four or five-week consultations - DCMS recommends 12 weeks as best practice.

brighton saturation zone proposal

Brighton & Hove City Council wants the whole of Brighton city centre to be a saturation zone.

That idea, included in the council's draft licensing policy, has been labelled "ridiculous" by Martin Rawlings of the BBPA.

Anyone who wanted a new licence in a saturation zone would have to prove that a new premises provides a new or different service to existing outlets.

Rawlings said: "I think the police are asking for it to try to make their life easier."