Consultation on late-night levy and EMROs launched
Discounts of 10-30% could be secured for members of best practice schemes such as Best Bar None and pubwatch. The Home Office also asked whether there should be exemptions on New Year’s Eve.
Pubs in villages of fewer than 3,000 inhabitants could all be exempt from the tax.
EMROs will enable licensing authorities to restrict the sale of alcohol in the whole or a part of their areas between midnight and 6am. The late-night levy will allow licensing authorities to raise a contribution from late-opening (midnight to 06:00) alcohol retailers towards policing the late night economy.
In his foreword to the consultation, Lord Henley, the Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Anti-Social Behaviour Reduction, states that his ‘intention is that both EMROs and the late-night levy will empower local communities to act to achieve a more viable night time economy’.
Commenting on the publication of the consultation, Kate Nicholls, Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) strategic affairs director said: “The ALMR will be pushing hard to ensure this legislation is properly drafted so it does not hamper the vast majority of responsible pub and bar operators.
“The government claims these measures will deal with the ‘problems of late-night drinking’. However, until the issue of supermarkets selling alcohol at pocket-money prices is addressed, these problems will not be fully resolved.
“All types of alcohol being sold at rock-bottom prices in the off-trade remains the elephant in the room and we would encourage the government to take more decisive regulatory action in this area.”
Brigid Simmonds, British Beer and Pub Association chief executive, said:
“If the Government is serious about cutting red tape for small businesses like pubs, they need to think carefully.
“More and more alcohol is drunk at home, yet more and more red tape is heaped on pubs.
“EMROs must not be used in an arbitrary way and should be limited in their time span.
“The Government should ensure that councils cannot charge extortionate Late Night Levy rates. Ideas put forward to exempt restaurants and members’ clubs from the levy would be unfair, and could leave pubs footing the entire bill.
“Overall, these additional costs will be an obstacle to growth in the sector and the creation of much-needed new jobs.”
National Pubwatch is advising pubwatch to respond to the consultaton is especially if members of their local scheme could be affected by the late-night levy. It also recommends that local Pubwatch schemes should take this opportunity to consider how they would evaluate their effectiveness in reducing crime and disorder in their area..
To view the Home Office consultation, which closes on April 10, click here
