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Bars could lose licences if too many customers end up in hospital
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor3 Sep 2010
Bars whose drinkers stretch the NHS could be closed or forced to reduce their opening hours as part of a government overhaul of licensing laws.
Councils will for the first time be given the right to take into account the number of drinkers being admitted to A&E departments when deciding whether to grant or renew licences.
The reforms will also let hospital bosses object to existing bars that are likely to drain their resources by generating too much alcohol-fuelled violence or drink-related accidents.
The aim is to allow councils — which are responsible for awarding licences — to shut down, or prevent from opening, any bar or pub they decide will have too great an impact upon the NHS.
Existing bars could also be required to limit opening hours in a further bid to reduce the multi-million-pound burden that excessive alcohol consumption places on the health service.
The reforms, being prepared by Home Office minister James Brokenshire, are part of a wide overhaul of the licensing laws which is intended to give communities greater powers to tackle the damaging results of problem drinking.
Mr Brokenshire said: “Britain has a binge drinking problem and its consequences can be seen every Friday and Saturday night in our A&E wards.
“We are determined to put that right and as part of our planned changes we want to give hospitals a role in granting licences and making sure that licensees act responsibly.
"Excessive alcohol consumption is placing a huge cost on the NHS and damaging people's lives and the law needs to be changed so that can be taken into account.”
Hospital evidence used to decide on licence applications will include figures on admissions to A&E and ambulance call-outs. Primary Care Trusts will also acquire the legal right to make representations to licensing hearings.
A further expected change would make “the prevention of health harm” a legal factor that must be considered when awarding a licence. This would let authorities take into account alcohol-related deaths and illnesses.
Other changes to the law — subject to a government consultation ending next Wednesday — will give all residents, as well as those living near a bar, the right to object to licence applications.
STREET VIEW: 'PEOPLE, NOT PUBS, CAUSE THE TROUBLE'
Darren Snelgrove, 33, a builder from Salisbury who is working in Fulham: “It's not a bad idea. A lot of the problem is the drinking culture, rather than what pubs and clubs are doing. But if a bar is renowned for trouble, having the power to take its licence away might make it take its responsibility more seriously.”
Fellow builder Jamie Tricker, 26, also from Wiltshire: “I think it's wrong. It doesn't matter what you do with licences, people will always be able to buy cheap alcohol from supermarkets and drink loads before they go out. It's not the pub's fault if drinkers start causing trouble as they could have been drinking loads before they got there.”
Danielle Robinson, 22, a law graduate from Hertfordshire: “It's risky to blame pubs for all the problems because it's individuals who cause the trouble. These idiots should get Asbos. You're talking about people's livelihoods and it's not fair to take that away because two idiots have drunk in your pub.”
Vanessa McKay, 22, a language trainer who lives in Munich: “Far too many NHS resources are used on binge drinkers. I support any positive measures the Government can take. If there's a detriment to pubs' trade, so be it. Pubs are part of our culture but they also have to act responsibly. Bars that charge less than a pound a drink are encouraging problems.”
Reader views (12)
I agree that it's the individuals fault, but many bars are not helping with price promotions and a very lazy attitude to serving drunks and just pushing drunks out the door to annoy neighbours. Also long hours inflicted on residents are unfair. Can somebody explain how they are going to work out what bar the people in A&E are coming from? They have probably been in more than one and will probably be incoherent!
- Mark, London, 06/09/2010 10:56
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The problem isnt the bars, its the idiotic alcohol-obsessed yob mentality of a vast number of British people. This is a huge social problem, which appears to be predominantly British. Why penalise the bar owners? All other countries around the world have bars too. Here in Tel Aviv the bars are open all day and all night, but you never, ever see anyone who is drunk. Alcohol is just not part of our culture. It is very common to see many people every night sitting outside the hundreds of bars & cafes, with a coffee and something to eat.
I dont see why business owners who run bars should always have the blame levelled at them. Something needs to be done about the alcoholic society in the UK - and I am not just talking about teenage chavs, I also know that many adults with professional careers also go out at weekends and drink themselves stupid & cause trouble. Its a weird idiot-culture, I dont understand it at all. The answer is to educate people at a young age that drinking alcohol and behaving badly is socially unacceptable rather than bringing them up thinking it is clever and cool.
Then bars would be nice places to go, and bar owners could be left alone to enjoy running their business & socialising with customers.
- Andrew, Tel Aviv, Israel, 06/09/2010 08:43
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I guess this is a Tory idea, wow super shut the bar and the idiots will not find another drinking hole.
To help the NHS finance; if self inflicted alcohol problems come into any hospital, and the hospital decides the individual(s) are at fault, then the individual(s) should be made to pay, the full price for medical care, it works this way in most European counties America etc why not here, but because if these idiots had to pay for this care, they would think twice, especially the second time.
- Fredrick, London, 05/09/2010 10:20
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Great idea, close the pubs and renovate them into unaffordable housing for the well deserved few.
Clearly it works and has been done before.
- Max, London, England, 04/09/2010 05:33
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Who wouldn't want to go out on the lash and spend there night in A&E. Safer than being dead drunk in the gutter I always thought the Police could arrest you and charge you for being drunk and disorderly appear in court and pay the fine. Now just get the NHS bill you when you are sober in the morning.
- Sylvester, Cornhill, London, 03/09/2010 16:49
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I agree that bars should be punished for encouraging irresponsible drinking but surely it is the person doing the excessive drinking who should be punished the most.
If someone is arrested for being drunk and disorderly or ends up in hospital because of excessive drinking they should be fined heavily. Hit them in the pocket and they will change their behavior.
Closing bars early, increasing the price of alcohol or limiting it's availability will not stop the problems with excessive drinking.It will make it worse.The binge drinking culture we are seeing today is a direct result of 100 years of early closing and restrictive availability.
People need to be taught civic responsibility and punished if they indulge in anti- social or self-destructive behavior due to the influence of alcohol.
- cliff steele, melbourne australia, 03/09/2010 14:50
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They could always amend the stupid 24 hour licensing laws. At present any application to a local authority is almost automatically approved and permitted to open long hours. The local authority is effectively powerless to limit the hours for adjacent or nearby premises selling alcohol for fear of litigation by the outlet licensed for shorter/less business hours. All-in-all the 24 hour licensing laws are inappropriate or as the former labour Government who introduced them often expressed themselves - "not fit for purpose".
- Mike, Sutton, 03/09/2010 14:48
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and all this will lead to is a disclaimer above the bar or something signed when there is a drinks promotion on thereby negating the bar/pubs responsibility.
You could extend the same to shops that sell cigarettes or kitchen knives.
- Hansel, London, 03/09/2010 14:38
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Why not ask Inspector Knacker to ENFORCE current legislation, instead of making all the excuses under the sun to allow criminals to continue drinking, or plod applying dispersal orders to move drunks on rather than charge them because this makes their safe communities policies look better.
If you are a personal licence holder, you can be fined for serving people under the influence of alcohol. (At it's extreme this means after one mouthful.) If people are allowed to continue drinking then the licence holders, both personal and business should be held to account, large fines and their premises closed down. Let's reclaim the streets for the law abiding, who in the main suffer when plod, along with the Councils, close streets and divert traffic in order that drunks can screem, shout and otherwise creat mayhem in the same street with impunity, protected by the law enforcers who don't want to see the little darlings hurt, but complain like mad over the cost of their policing.
As this present policy stands, there isn't a snowballs chance in hell of making bars pay, because plod actively encourages these louts to wander from pub' where they have been served the majority of their alcohol, to pub to finish the night at. who then decides who is guilty of allowing someone to get wasted? Why have Laws if they are not enforced, which is exactly what an lawyer will do to the new proposal.
- alan, Carlisle uk, 03/09/2010 14:15
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Bring it on!
- Ted, Orkney, 03/09/2010 14:12
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Funny. It's been reported today that alcohol consumption continues to fall with a 13% drop since 2004. The last thing we want to yet more powers for council particularly ones like Westminster who are currently trying to destroy Soho bar and club scene.
- John David, London, 03/09/2010 13:57
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Which pubs "charge less than a pound a drink"???
- John Smith, London, 03/09/2010 13:49
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