Greens warn of pub licensing time bomb
12 August 2005
New laws will allow premises to apply for longer drinking hours
Green Councillors on Brighton & Hove City Council are warning of an expected public outcry when all the licences granted so far for extended pub trading hours come into effect on 24 November.
"So far, the majority of city centre residents are unaware that many city centre pubs will be serving alcohol later - some up to 2 AM," warned Cllr Keith Taylor, Convenor of the Greens.
"While this may not cause too much disturbance in commercial areas, in neighbourhoods such as North Laine and Hanover real problems could result."
There are nearly 1,000 city licensed premises and applications from more than 900 have already been received.
Cllr Taylor went on: "The new laws are making it easier for businesses to trade and the decision about who should be granted extended licences has been taken away from the courts and given to the Council.
"However, Greens believe that the government’s public consultation guidelines are ineffective. Many, who’ll be directly affected by longer opening hours, appear not to know anything about applications or how to go about lodging objections.
"Green Councillors' post bags have been over flowing with letters from worried residents seeking guidance on how to go about lodging their concerns.
"To help, the Green Party has been mounting an information campaign directly notifying local residents about some licensing applications in central areas.
"We have also strongly criticised the Council for failing to have a public register, even though this is is a requirement under the new legislation.
"Some Councils have even taken the initiative to let residents know when late licensing is applied for and this is a good practice we are urging Brighton and Hove City Council to adopt too."
Cllr Georgia Wrighton (pictured left), whose Hanover & Elm Grove ward contains dozens of small neighbourhood pubs, added: "The Council’s website, which aims to list all applications, is out of date and difficult to use.
"This legislation has been a long time coming, but it’s plain that insufficient resources have been allocated to the project. It’s simply not good enough.
"Because there’s a short time limit for people to make representations about applications, any delay in letting the public know what’s happening is very serious."
"The Chair of Licensing, New Labour's Cllr Jeanne Lepper, is calling for a review of procedures, but only after 24 November.
"We say that is far too late to meet the concerns of all those residents who are clearly worried about how their lives may be affected by living next door to a pub or other premises selling alcohol with extended hours. The Council is failing in its duty to inform now," Cllr Wrighton said.
Cllr Taylor added: "We are generally supportive of liberalising the licensing laws, where doing so will enhance people’s access to leisure facilities. However this must not be at the cost of the community’s quality of life or add to the police's already heavy responsibilities."
You can view the latest applications for extended hours licences on the Brighton and Hove City Council website at: link
Notes to editors:
For more media information: Geoffrey Bowden Brighton & Hove Green Party External Communications Coordinator 07958 682683.Worthing Borough Council contacted residents likely to be affected by Variation applications, but decided it was too expensive to continue, and stopped the service.
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