BII chief: Councils will be 'under pressure' to follow Glasgow's crackdown

A trade chief has warned other councils across Scotland will be "under pressure" to follow Glasgow's lead on tackling health concerns around alcohol.

A Glasgow City Council report recommends a "winding down" period when pubs would only be allowed to sell soft drinks for the last hour of trade.

Other measures include forcing pubs to put health warnings and alcohol unit on drinks and provide leaflets explaining the dangers of drinking more than recommended limits.

Neil Robertson, the BII's chief executive, accused the council of "desperately fumbling around to construct proposals to promote health".

He added: "Now each local authority will be under pressure to come up with a new hare-brained idea to follow suit."

The move by Glasgow is part of process by councils to include a public health objective into their licensing polices, which must be done by the end of the year.

But Patrick Browne, chief executive of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association, warned against councils acting beyond their powers.

"Licensing boards don't realise that they are restricted in their powers - many of these issues are not for local councils to decide, but are up to Westminster," he said.

Edinburgh board's convenor Marjorie Thomas confirmed it would be re-examining the health element closely.

"We have an open mind about what we will look at, but health will be taking more of a centre stage," she said.

Health could also become a licensing objective in England and Wales as part of the coalition's plans for overhauling the current regime.

Robertson added: "We can't ignore it. This is the future in Scotland and in England. We've got to engage with doctors."