Even after 25 years, our opening times remain the most restrictive in the UK + Europe.
Our objections to the licensing laws + amendments are below:
Dated + Irrelevant.
They do not reflect the needs of modern society.
We believe that progressive licensing allows a progressive approach to the creative industries and encourages cultural change.
Missed Opportunity.
Even after waiting 25 years for a change in licensing, our opening times remain the most restrictive in the UK and Ireland.
A key opportunity to rebuild and grow our night time economy after the COVID-19 pandemic has been missed.
Public support ignored.
54% of respondents to the public opinion survey carried out by the Department for Communities in 2020 were in favour of 4am closing times or later, yet this has been ignored throughout the proposals.
One-size-fits-all won’t work.
No distinction has been made between bars, pubs, nightclubs or other entertainment venues.
The bill prioritises alcohol over culture and entertainment in a time when the entertainment industry needs as much help as possible to get back on its feet.
Unfair to venue owners.
No consideration has been made for venue and club owners, nor the creatives who use these spaces.
The proposed changes have the potential to destroy the midweek events market and lead to venue closures in an already challenging landscape.
Further strain on services.
Closing entertainment venues at the same time as bars and pubs will cause challenges at closing time. Larger numbers of people leaving venues within the same timeframe will create a bottleneck and a potentially unsafe environment for those who go out at night.
Our already strained public transport and taxi services will be under even more pressure.