Howard slams longer opening hours plans
Tory leader Michael Howard last week blasted the Government's plan for 24-hour opening, claiming it would encourage a yob culture.
He also accused the Government of "sexing down" its Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy by deleting expert evidence of damaging effects longer opening hours had in other countries.
Howard claimed this evidence backed the view that round-the-clock opening times would worsen binge-drinking and associated crime and disorder, creating a "yob culture" rather than a "caf‚ culture".
He also lambasted Government guidelines, which he said prevented councils from rejecting licence applications where they felt the area was already saturated with pubs and bars.
Howard pledged that the Tories would scrap most of the guidelines on licensing reform and transfer the decision-making powers to town halls.
Howard's claim that the Government had ignored evidence that longer licensing hours and higher outlet numbers had increased alcohol-related problems was echoed by one expert, Professor Griffith Edwards of the National Addiction Centre.
He said the evidence showed that easier access and falling prices had already increased Britain's alcohol-related problems. Relaxing opening hours, he warned, would simply allow binge-drinkers to drink for longer, while pubs would have to encourage drinking to pay staff for the extended hours. He added that poor public transport at night would increase drink-driving incidents.
The Departure for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) disputed Howard's claims that local authorities had no power to limit bar numbers, and insisted local people would have more say than ever in licensing decisions.
The DCMS said it would be publishing draft licensing reform regulations and fees "shortly", although it couldn't promise it would be this month, as it had stated before.
In the meantime, it has set up a newsletter, Licensing Countdown, which will be updated every eight weeks on its website, www.culture.gov.uk/alcohol_and_entertainment/licensing_newsletter.
