While two of the trade associations of the time, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) and the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), supported the change, the nightclub industry trade association, the British Entertainment & Disco Association (BEDA), led by myself as then chairman, found itself a lone voice against such dramatic changes.
It must now be said the Licencing Act 2003 introduced by Tony Blair has not achieved what the then Government proposed it would do. It aimed to modernise the old 1960s Licensing Act, legislation it deemed to be too restrictive, and claimed it would revitalise town and city centres.
In fact, it has done the reverse as far as I’m concerned. It has had several devastating consequences for the hospitality industry, particularly nightclubs, and also changed the pattern of social interaction that the old act had achieved.
Drastic changes
Back then, BEDA was against such drastic changes and we suggested the old act worked reasonably well, and if any changes were to be made to the pub-to-club differential of three hours, it should be maintained by giving pubs until midnight for last orders and nightclubs until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights – the two busiest nights of the week.
During meetings, firstly at the Home Office and later at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, I tried to convince civil servants and licensing ministers (I think we had about five different ones) throughout the consultation period, of the effect relaxations would have on the industry and social behaviour.
I gave the example of the extra hour previously added to Sundays, when the 12noon until 2pm period in pubs was like a Christmas Eve atmosphere every Sunday, until the extra hour was added, until 3pm, and it immediately ruined it - and now they wanted to add 24 hours!
Vote winner
I tried to convince them that the old act, which was used for more than 40 years, worked well and needed tinkering not rewriting, but someone in Downing Street had convinced Blair it would be a vote winner, and we all know what Prime Ministers and politicians will do if they think an idea is a vote winner. Remember the text message to every student in the country: “Don’t give a XXXX for last orders? Vote Labour” – a cheap advertising ploy for such a major licensing change.
Blair claimed it would revitalise town and city centres with European-style alfresco dining and also stop binge-drinking but he’d forgotten two things: firstly, our weather and, some behaviours have been set in our DNA since the first drunken Viking raiders arrived!
I know the smoking ban and Covid, etc. has had an effect on people’s behaviour but nothing as drastic as the Licencing Act 2003, ironically or on purpose introduced on November 24, which is also my birthday.
- John Hayes is chairman of the company that owns Scunthorpe Bowl and Sunderland Bowl, which are competitive social venues and has run nightclubs, pubs and restaurants for more than 50 years. He was also chair of the British Entertainment & Disco Association (BEDA).
