Glasgow pubs face 'unfeasible' clampdown

A Scottish trade chief has slammed wide-ranging plans to crack down on the way pubs in Glasgow operate.

In a report seen by The Publican​, containing 64 recommendations, health experts say leaflets should be available in all pubs explaining the health dangers of drinking more than recommended limits.

Pubs may also be forced to put health warnings on drinks, if recommendations are accepted by Glasgow City Council next week.

The report says alcohol unit content information should be clearly visible on all drinks, including cocktails.

But in response to the plans, Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, urged health bodies to "get their facts straight".

The report, called the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of the Glasgow City Council licensing policy statement, contained 64 recommendations on how the licensing board should assess the health in applications for licences.

Other recommendations include:

• Pubs should not be allowed to serve alcohol during breakfast hours, unless served with a "substantial breakfast"

• In the hour before closing time, pubs should be prohibited from selling alcohol. The "winding down" hour would not allow for extra licensed hours

• "Overprovision assessments" should be made with new licence applications, with the need for "strong positive reasons" to award more licences.

• Children's conditions recommended providing play areas or "adequate entertainment equipment", as well as healthy meals and children's cutlery

Waterson said: "They have bombarded us with ideas - some of which just aren't feasible."

The recommendations focus predominately on measures for pubs and clubs, but the report's authors claim it is "decidedly not a prohibitionist manifesto".

But Waterson criticised the one-sided approach for ignoring the impact of the off-trade on the city's problems.

"Recommendations like these aren't getting to the root of the problem," he said. "They need to stop lumping us all together and realise who they should be targeting. Glasgow's problems are coming from cheap alcohol in supermarkets, not from pubs. Supermarkets are giving it away."

Cllr McKenzie, chair of Glasgow Council's health & social care policy development committee, said: "It must be stressed that these recommendations are not about clobbering the licensed trade in Glasgow.

"We recognise the hugely important role the licensed trade plays in the city, not only culturally but economically too…what we want achieve is a balance between licensees trading successfully and upholding the principles of the licensing objectives contained within the new legislation."

Glasgow City Council will look at recommendations next week, but it is not yet finalised which ones will be approved.

Cllr Stephen Dornan, Glasgow's licensing board chairman, said: "The board is looking very carefully at all the recommendations made in this report.

"Regardless of the detail of the final policy statement, licence-holders are expected to act in an appropriate manner at all times.

"We have already shown that we are prepared to take action where licence-holders are failing to uphold their obligations to the new licensing objectives."