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Licensing laws 'could be relaxed'
Wed 16 Jun 2010
The new licensing minister has suggested that some rules and regulations could be relaxed.
According to John Penrose, the UK's £156 billion budget deficit means the government has to do as much as it can on a very limited budget.
This, he stated, could lead to the state reducing the "bureaucratic burden" on licensed premises such as pubs and clubs.
Mr Penrose suggested that regulations surrounding the staging of live music could be among those to be eased.
He said this strategy would help to ensure that owners of licensed premises do not have to keeping jumping through a "million bureaucratic hoops".
The licensing minister added that the government has no intention of punishing pubs and clubs as part of its efforts to deal with anti-social behaviour.
Mr Penrose insisted that licensed premises are considered as part of the solution to this problem, which means well-run establishments will not be penalised.
Robert Botkai, a partner at Winckworth Sherwood Solicitors, commented: "I do wish the minister would have a look at the bureaucracy created by the Licensing Act 2003 and how much paper it generates.
"It's not just about live music, though this tends to attract headlines.
"The length and complexity of the forms, the number of parties to be served - there is so much waste and this is a relatively new piece of legislation."
