A licence to binge drink?

Under new government regulations, thousands of pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants can now stay open after 11pm. But just what are the implications of the updated licensing laws? Jeff Meyer investigates.

Britain ended World War I in November 1918. It ended its wartime drinking laws in November 2005.

Just days after the last Scottish veteran of the 'war to end all wars' passed away at age 109, not many veterans of the Great War will get to enjoy a midnight pint now that drinking laws have been relaxed. Government estimates put the total number left in the low 20s.

It's safe to say that one thing we will not see in the wake of the changes to the Licensing Act are bands of unruly First World War vets wreaking havoc in the streets in the early hours of the night.

But that is what many fear will happen amongst yobs, louts, hooligans and even respectable members of society who have simply had a few too many now that the law gives them the right to drink through the night and on through tomorrow.

Already some 70% of the nation's pubs, clubs, bars, cafes, hotels, cinemas, supermarkets and shops have applied for a variation to their existing licence, and research suggests that about a third are going to get their hours extended.

According to a BBC survey, approximately 70,000 licensed premises have been given the green flag from government. But contrary to critics’ fears of a new permanently inebriated culture, only a small proportion of these premises – just over 1,000 – have been given 24-hour licences, and only a small proportion of these licences have been given to pubs and clubs.

The overwhelming majority of these beneficiaries are supermarkets and small, independent shops.

Of the rest who have applied - as many as 200,000 - almost half have sought extensions to their hours.

Leading this drive are the nation’s many pub chains, which have been meticulously scanning their franchisees’ sales in advance of today’s relaxation.

Mitchell & Butler's plc, which operates over 2,000 pubs, bars and restaurants across the UK, has already filed its licensed retailers’ applications with relevant local authorities.

"It was all coordinated from the head office," said company spokeswoman Sally Ellson. "Each pub was evaluated individually, and the majority applied for and have gotten an hour or two extension."

Ellson said the company used sales figures and trends in customer demand to determine which of its licensed premises would apply for extensions.

In fact, most pub landlords who spoke to MyBusiness.co.uk followed the same criteria.

At the Sun Inn in Richmond, west London, the landlady said she has applied for an extra couple hours to cater to rugby fans and Friday stragglers who don't want to go home. She admitted she does not yet know what the hours change will do for her business but believes an extra hour or two of business cannot hurt.

Likewise for the Orange Tree around the corner, part of the Young's chain. The recently refurbished public house will stay open an extra hour on Fridays and Saturdays so that its patrons do not feel rushed out at the end of their night.

Critics meanwhile contend that the rule change will only worsen a scourge of drunken violence and vandalism that some say is a growing problem in many communities across the country. Ministers, however, say that simply is not true.

While finally treating adults like grown-ups, says licensing minister James Purnell, criminals will be treated like criminals and licence-holders who aid in their misbehaviour will now be held accountable, too.

Police will have new powers to fine troublemakers on-the-spot. Alcohol-related crime can now cost offenders £80 per punch and wretch, making that morning hangover just a little bit worse. Consistent problem areas will see more CCTV cameras installed, particularly in city centres, to help track miscreants.

But pubs, themselves, will also feel the strong arm of the law. Consistently raucous establishments will be monitored and closed down. At first just for 24 hours, but eventually the taps will be shut off for good.

Establishments charged with offering irresponsible drinks promotions stand to lose their licence. Shop owners caught selling alcohol to minors now face fines of £5,000, a potentially damaging loss for a small, independent businessman.

And it goes on.

"The new powers are positively draconian," chimed culture secretary Tessa Jowell.

Hoping to allay critics’ fears that later closing times will encourage more people to drink longer and lead to increases in violence, Jowell said that the significant difference in the changes to licensing laws is that the local community and its police will have more say in who stays open.

The new laws are about choice and giving everyone more freedom, she says. They're about giving power back to the people, local people. They're about letting patrons enjoy a night out without feeling rushed to down their pints. They're about reducing binge drinking which has blighted some communities, she says.

Under the new act, local councillors csn not only decide which pubs and clubs can stay open until what hours but which pubs and clubs can stay open at all.

In the future, councillors, with the backing of their local community members, can rule that drinking establishments consistently at the centre of trouble may not serve at any hour.

"I think allowing this flexibility is only fair to the overwhelming majority of us who enjoy a drink but know when to stop and how to behave," Jowell said.

"There is no doubt that the amount of drink-fuelled disorder in some of our town and city centres is horrible. But that’s under the present licensing hours, not the new system.

"I believe the position will be improved by tougher police powers and flexible opening hours, so all pubs don’t push their customers out onto the street at the same time."

Everyone has a different view on what effects these changes will have. Everyone can agree that the changes are controversial.

In its justification, the government said that the laws up until today were archaic.

Intended to keep wartime Britain sharp and on its toes, particularly at the assembly line, one minister after another has said that the original language written 90 years ago is complicated and has no relevance in modern England and Wales.

With these measures Labour hopes to bring a continental drinking culture to Britain, an image that evokes people in heavy jumpers dining in quiet alley cafés, sipping Merlot.

But whether Britons can shed their football jerseys and their cans of Stella that don their image in the minds of continental culture remains to be seen.

© Crimson Business Ltd 2005