Summer - and the time when people start dreaming of their holidays. Politicians are no exception.
So it's no surprise that we receive a report from a parliamentary committee extolling the virtues of café society and why the UK should adopt a more continental-style drinking culture.
The Commons Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions committee is urging Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to spearhead a drive to create more of a mix of facilities in town centres and to order every local council to draw up a strategy for managing their "evening and late night economies".
The committee believes the proportion of drinking venues in town centres is too high. When the sun goes down, it says, central streets and squares become the preserve of alcohol-fuelled entertainment venues aimed predominantly at the young. It says town centres need to be more "inclusive", encouraging more people to stay on after shops and offices close rather than returning straight to their homes in the suburbs.
The problem, as is all too often the case with politicians, is in shifting the blame and the job of doing something about the problem elsewhere – and probably to the wrong place too.
The committee doesn't seem to understand the role that Parliament has had in creating the problem in the first place and what it can do to solve it now.
As Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of Business in Sport & Leisure, who gave evidence to the committee, complains, the committee doesn't seem to understand the part the new Licensing Act can now play in encouraging a more diverse market.
One of the reasons why the late-night market is dominated by nightclubs and entertainment-led businesses is because those are just about the only ones allowed to stay open under present legislation. The public isn't allowed by the law to go out for a quiet drink. The new Act can change that, as long as local councils play ball.
It is too much legislation, not too little that generally causes problems. It was the same with the Beer Orders. The main reason for the brewers' monopoly was the fact that licensing legislation was being used to bar new entrants and stifle retail competition.
The committee also seems to ignore the role of business in providing the facilities it wants. Does it think that local authorities on their own will deliver? The tendency with both national and local government is to ban and restrict rather than to encourage and provide a liberal framework within which the market can work for the consumer.
"Local authorities and government need to take a proactive approach to achieve the urban renaissance we all want. Bologna in Birmingham, Madrid in Manchester, why not?" the committee adds.
Unfortunately, its proposals go little further than giving councils powers to ban pub "happy hours" and to make pubs, nightclubs and other late-night venues clean up the area around their premises. All stick, no carrot, as usual.
As Brigid Simmonds says: "Vibrant and exciting city centres will only prevail if the industry is allowed to play its part." She also points out that new Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) already allow the industry and local authorities to work closely together and contribute to additional community policeman, more street cleaning, CCTV and better lighting. Something also overlooked by the Commons committee.
Simmonds says: “If Government and local authorities do not work with the industry to make attractive town centres, we will end up with no go areas late at night. Urban renaissance will only work if a partnership approach is adopted."
Quite right, but to ensure the industry doesn't fall into the politicians' trap of simply moaning and doing nothing, more trade associations like BISL and, most importantly, individual companies will have to engage more directly in the issue than they have done to date. Wishing something isn't going to make it happen, as the politicians may well find out.
So it's no surprise that we receive a report from a parliamentary committee extolling the virtues of café society and why the UK should adopt a more continental-style drinking culture.
The Commons Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions committee is urging Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to spearhead a drive to create more of a mix of facilities in town centres and to order every local council to draw up a strategy for managing their "evening and late night economies".
The committee believes the proportion of drinking venues in town centres is too high. When the sun goes down, it says, central streets and squares become the preserve of alcohol-fuelled entertainment venues aimed predominantly at the young. It says town centres need to be more "inclusive", encouraging more people to stay on after shops and offices close rather than returning straight to their homes in the suburbs.
The problem, as is all too often the case with politicians, is in shifting the blame and the job of doing something about the problem elsewhere – and probably to the wrong place too.
The committee doesn't seem to understand the role that Parliament has had in creating the problem in the first place and what it can do to solve it now.
As Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of Business in Sport & Leisure, who gave evidence to the committee, complains, the committee doesn't seem to understand the part the new Licensing Act can now play in encouraging a more diverse market.
One of the reasons why the late-night market is dominated by nightclubs and entertainment-led businesses is because those are just about the only ones allowed to stay open under present legislation. The public isn't allowed by the law to go out for a quiet drink. The new Act can change that, as long as local councils play ball.
It is too much legislation, not too little that generally causes problems. It was the same with the Beer Orders. The main reason for the brewers' monopoly was the fact that licensing legislation was being used to bar new entrants and stifle retail competition.
The committee also seems to ignore the role of business in providing the facilities it wants. Does it think that local authorities on their own will deliver? The tendency with both national and local government is to ban and restrict rather than to encourage and provide a liberal framework within which the market can work for the consumer.
"Local authorities and government need to take a proactive approach to achieve the urban renaissance we all want. Bologna in Birmingham, Madrid in Manchester, why not?" the committee adds.
Unfortunately, its proposals go little further than giving councils powers to ban pub "happy hours" and to make pubs, nightclubs and other late-night venues clean up the area around their premises. All stick, no carrot, as usual.
As Brigid Simmonds says: "Vibrant and exciting city centres will only prevail if the industry is allowed to play its part." She also points out that new Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) already allow the industry and local authorities to work closely together and contribute to additional community policeman, more street cleaning, CCTV and better lighting. Something also overlooked by the Commons committee.
Simmonds says: “If Government and local authorities do not work with the industry to make attractive town centres, we will end up with no go areas late at night. Urban renaissance will only work if a partnership approach is adopted."
Quite right, but to ensure the industry doesn't fall into the politicians' trap of simply moaning and doing nothing, more trade associations like BISL and, most importantly, individual companies will have to engage more directly in the issue than they have done to date. Wishing something isn't going to make it happen, as the politicians may well find out.
