Jeremy Hunt gets key licensing job
Conservative Jeremy Hunt has been named the new secretary of state at the department responsible for licensing.
The South West Surrey MP has taken charge of the Department for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, previously the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The minister with a specific brief over licensing has not yet been named. It was rumoured before the election that the licensing brief could be handed back to the Home Office.
It remains to be seen what approach the new coalition Government will take towards licensing. The Tories have called for the Licensing Act to be "overhauled", whereas the Liberal Democrats oppose major changes at this stage.
In an interview with the Morning Advertiser last May, Hunt stressed the importance of individual councils being able to sort out their own licensing issues.
"We are champions of 'localism'. We believe you must push power down and trust local communities to make decisions that are right for them.
"We need a licensing policy that has the buy-in and support of local communities. We don't think this is a job for central Government."
Meanwhile, fellow Conservatives Andrew Lansley and Teresa May have been appointed health secretary and home secretary respectively.
They could have a big influence over polices around binge drinking and alcohol in this Parliament.
Other ministerial appointments are expected to be announced over the next couple of days.
