North Lincolnshire Council has begun “informal discussions” about implementing an early morning restriction order (EMRO) in Scunthorpe town centre.
The council’s proposal is to use an EMRO to restrict sales between either 3am or 4am and 6am in the same area as its Cumulative Impact Policy.
A North Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said: “The council is looking into the night time economy in North Lincolnshire to find a way to reduce anti-social behaviour. It is being proposed that options for the night time economy are discussed with the relevant people to find a solution. No decisions have been made as of yet.
“We have previously tried to introduce Best Bar None, but both times were unsuccessful, which is why ‘Stars on the Bars’ was introduced.
“Once discussions have taken place a decision will be made on the best way forward.”
She told M&C Report it is “just informal discussions at this stage” and no consultation has been launched.
Research from Poppleston Allen earlier this year pointed to a sharp decline in the number of councils considering EMROs.
The research showed that 341 of the 359 licensing authorities surveyed, or 98%, were not considering introducing the measure – a considerable rise from the 163 authorities in the 2012 survey conducted by the licensing law firm.
Only seven (2%) authorities said they were considering the measure, compared to 30 (8.7%) last year – a drop of more than 75%.
In May Blackpool rejected plans to introduce an EMRO, opting instead to create a night-time working group to tackle problems. Lambeth in London and Weymouth in Dorset also rejected the measure earlier this year after council hearings.
It’s understood that no councils are currently in the consultation or pre-consultation stage for an EMRO, although a number are said to be monitoring the situation.
