New licensing laws to take effect from November

The government’s new licensing laws, which allow 24-hour drinking, are set to come into effect on November 24.

According to new figures released by Licensing Minister James Purnell, 65% of applications have now been received.

However, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) claimed that 58% of the 180,000 license-holders in England and Wales have so far failed to submit applications to renew their licenses.

The Licensing Act 2003 will allow venues to serve alcohol for up to 24-hours per day, if desired, as well as give police powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by alcohol, underage drinking, and rogue traders who sell alcohol to under-eighteens and encourage binge drinking.

Under the new legislation, any pub, restaurant, fast food takeaway, sports club, theatre, music venue or cinema, which sells hot food after 11pm, serves alcohol or puts on public entertainment, must convert their licence – even if they do not wish to alter their hours – by August 6.

Any venues that do not have a new license on November 24 will face prosecution if they continue to trade.

Mr Purnell said: “The new laws will revolutionise the way we spend our leisure time and the way in which many businesses are run. We are no longer going to be constrained by outdated laws set almost a century ago.”

However, the FSB has estimated that more than 100,000 businesses are set to miss the deadline, including 30,000 restaurants and fast-food outlets, 26,000 hotels and guesthouses and 6,500 shops.

The FSB has criticised the government, claiming that the implementation of the new system had “descended into chaos”.

FSB Policy Chairman John Walker said: “The Licensing Minister may well be predicting that the new system will be seen favourably in a couple of year’s time, but few businesses will forget that its introduction has been a shambles.

“We have some sympathy with local authorities. The failure of businesses to renew their licenses is a time bomb of the government’s making, which we warned was set to explode this summer.

“Ministers underestimated the vast array of firms that come under the new regime including many that make just a tiny proportion of their profits from alcohol.

“They didn’t listen when we told them that 26-page forms and a requirement to submit plans of premises were alright for national chains with in-house legal teams, but not for independent traders.”

(KMcA/SP)