Upcoming Events :
Housing Seminar: Partnerships with the Public Sector – Avoiding the pitfalls
Thu 31 May 2012
Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9BB
Licensing Act reforms 'at least two years away'
Tue 24 Aug 2010
The implementation of proposed reforms to the Licensing Act is still at least two years away, a regulatory guidance body has stated.
According to Lacors, it has recently been in touch with the Home Office about when various planned revisions will be put into place.
Speaking to the Publican, the body said it had been informed that measures directly relating to public health will be introduced in 2012 at the earliest.
However, it is understood that measures which feature in the separate Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, such as the requirement for alcohol vendors to pay more for a late-night licence, could still come into place by November 2011 as planned.
Among the current proposals are introducing a ban on the sale of below-cost alcohol and doubling the fine for retailers who persistently sell drinks to underage customers.
The government also wants to make it easier for the wider community to express their views on licensing issues, rather than just those who live in the immediate vicinity of certain premises.
Robert Botkai, a partner at Winckworth Sherwood Solicitors, commented: "For further information on the proposals for licensing reform please see my Briefing Note at http://www.wslaw.co.uk/publications/download/185/licensing-reform-here-we-go-again."
