Chesterfield Borough Council could introduce early morning restriction order

Targets: late-night venues in Chesterfield could have to close if council adopts EMRO

Chesterfield Borough Council could introduce an early morning restriction order (EMRO) between 3am and 6am after telling the Publican’s Morning Advertiser (PMA) it was “sympathetic” towards the idea.

It is believed to be the first local authority to publicly express its support for the measure, which would give councils the power to close premises that open after midnight in certain areas.

EMROs are set to be brought into force across the country in October alongside the controversial late-night levy, which would tax late-night venues, as part of the Police Reform & Social Responsibility Act.

However, speaking exclusively to the PMA, Chesterfield Borough Council’s licensing manager, Trevor Durham, said the late-night levy was not something the council would consider at this stage.

“We took part in the consultation exercise and we put our contribution forward, which was quite sympathetic to the EMROs, but not as such to the levies,” said Durham.

He added: “We have got some real issues with the night-time economy mixing with the day-time economy. We find that the town in the early part of the evening is very dead, and that we have a high volume of antisocial behaviour after 3am.

“There are quite a number of venues that open after that time, and while the levy could be an incentive for them to cut back, we felt that EMROs would be a more proportionate measure.”

A survey last August by legal firm Poppleston Allen found there was little appetite among local authorities for EMROs, but another lawyer recently suggested councils could change their mind over the measures.

There are fears that introducing an EMRO in Chesterfield could drive people to late-night venues in other nearby cities in the region such as Sheffield.

“It could easily do that,” agreed Nigel Williams, president of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations (FLVA), which represents licensees across the north of England.

He added: “We’d have to view very carefully any re-strictions on developing business, but if there are issues of law and order, then we would support it [EMRO].”