The government could be trying to force through a mandatory code of practice that would cost the pub industry up to £157m to implement because of the failure of alcohol disorder zones (ADZs), it was claimed last night.
Jeremy Allen, senior partner at Poppleston Allen, said that the Policing and Crime Bill 2009 was a “frightening” piece of legislation that was based on the “imbalance” of the KPMG report into alcohol sales.
He told delegates at the Poppleston Allen seminar called “2009: Crisis of opportunity” that he thought the introduction of the bill was partly due to the lack of ADZs.
Allen said: “Two thirds of local authorities said they liked the idea of alcohol disorder zones and then they found out they would have to pay for them and then nobody wanted them and that is probably why they have come out with this awful bill.”
The Policing and Crime Bill 2009 is set to include a mandatory code of practice that will include measures such as: banning all you can drink offers; outlawing promotions to certain groups, ensuring proper staff training and making customers aware of the unit content of all alcohol they but.
Allen said he was puzzled as to why the Home Secretary would be given the power to impose nine mandatory conditions and said: “This is clearly a strange piece of the legislation because the whole purpose of it has not been worked out.”
He also warned that the power of local licensing authorities to impose their own, and crucially site-specific licence conditions, could lead to confusion.
Currently the only way to appeal against a condition added by a local licensing authority would be by a Judicial Review, which Allen said was “useless” method.
The Bill, which is due to have its third reading after Easter, was due to be introduced in June but would more probably get approval in October – after the summer recess, he added.
“I’m really not sure what will happen to it [the act],” concluded Allen. “The Home Office are very keen to introduce this, as they were with ADZs, but this does look really more serious and more frightening.”
Earlier in the seminar, Poppleston Allen’s Graeme Cushion had warned delegates that licence enforcement action was on the increase because of a downturn in licence applications and amendments.
