Pubs could stay open longer under licensing reforms

Opening hours for pubs and bars in England and Wales could be extended as the government launches a rapid review into “outdated” licensing rules.

The plans could make it easier for venues to serve outdoor dining and offer more live music in a bid to “remove unnecessary barriers”.

Pub owners and local communities will be able to have their say in a four-week call for evidence. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the review was about “cutting red tape” and “increasing footfall” to support Britain’s economic growth.

But critics have warned that relaxing rules on alcohol would lead to more antisocial behaviour.

Sir Keir said “pubs and bars are the beating heart of our communities”, adding that the government was “supporting them to thrive”.

“When our locals are well off, our economy is also good,” he said.

The call for evidence will focus on nine key recommendations from the government’s licensing working group, with particular emphasis on facilitating commercial alcohol licensing for hospitality venues.

He said he planned to reduce licensing costincrease business rates relief and reduce alcohol duty on cask beers.

Among the working group’s other recommendations was a proposal to eliminate the local newspaper advertising requirement for a manager seeking to establish a facility or change its license.

It has also proposed a permanent increase in the number of temporary event notices required to hold a one-off licensable event on unlicensed premises and simpler rules for trading in open spaces.

Nick Mackenzie, co-chairman of the licensing task force and managing director of pub giant Greene King, said updating the licensing system was a “vital step” towards reducing the challenges of running a hospitality business.

“Pubs face ever-increasing costs, putting them under enormous pressure, so the government needs to continue supporting the sector, including critical reforms to business rates that will unlock opportunities for pubs to invest and help drive economic growth,” he said.

UK Hospitality, the body that represents pubs and bars in the UK, welcomed the review and said the changes could reduce red tape and cut costs that are overwhelming businesses.

“Under the current regime, a single complaint from a single resident is enough to prevent a business from being able to trade. This could result in an investigation; it could result in the closure of a business,” Kate Nicholls, the authority’s chief executive, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“This isn’t about trading later, this isn’t about 24-hour licenses and booze, it’s about making sure we can respond to consumer demands and offer freedom and flexibility at low enough costs.”

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith called on the government to implement the licensing working group’s recommendations, published in June, and “put an end to endless delays when they are literally ‘last orders’ for many pubs and businesses”.

However Richard Piper, chief executive of the charity Alcohol Change UK, told the Guardian the proposed reforms would be a “contract of chaos” without the support of local authorities and health experts.

He said allowing vendors to sell alcohol late into the evening would “inevitably mean more victims of crime, domestic violence, more antisocial behavior and disorder, police spending more time dealing with drink-related incidents, and both ambulance and A&E staff having to deal with more people harmed as a result of alcohol.”

Pubs in England and Wales do not have universal fixed opening hours under current licensing rules. Instead, local authorities issue licenses with specific opening hours that bars must comply with.

According to the British Beer and Pub Association, the number of pubs in the UK has declined steadily every year since 2000. The association predicts that 378 pubs will close in England, Wales and Scotland by 2025, leading to more than 5,600 direct job losses.

The BBC heard from landlords and customers about the government’s licensing review.

Leeds man Mark Costello, who runs a brewery and taproom, said his main concern was costs.

“It doesn’t matter how long we’re allowed to stay open; it costs a lot to stay open, so what we need is customers to fill the place and they don’t have the money to go out like they used to,” he said.

“We need help with business rates, energy and staff costs,” he added

Jay Ashton, from Huddersfield, who owns two micropubs, said he had to deal with a “mountain of bureaucratic red tape” when dealing with councils, which he said were “impediments to growth”.

Andy, who lives in Heathfield, East Sussex, said the pub he lives next to was “making everyone’s life miserable” and that longer hours and more music would devastate the village.

David, from Cambridge, who has been frequenting pubs for 55 years, says rising business rates, national insurance and the minimum wage, and customers with less disposable income, are the real problems facing pubs.