Red tape

As you are undoubtedly already aware, there is a lot of red tape surrounding licensing law, in many instances making life unneccessarily difficult for licensees. 

Briefly, some examples of red tape issues that have been a cause for complaint in the past are:

• Sending multiple paper copies of the application to all the responsible authorities.
• Having to pay costs to advertise applications in local newspapers.
• Alcohol Disorder Zones.
• Fines for not having smoke free signs displayed.
• The need for menus to have gluten free labelling.
• Tests for underage sales.

The Government has asked publicans to submit their views on current legislation relevant to the food, drink and hospitality sector. Mark Prisk (Minister for Business and Enterprise) stated "I would really encourage publicans to go online and feedback to us the things that make their lives unnecessarily bureaucratic or waste their time. What we are looking for are those practical suggestions that only licensees on the front line who do the work will know about". 

It is certainly worth while making your thoughts known at www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk. You should be aware that this finishes on 2nd June and the bigger the response, the better. 

For more information, make an enquiry, subscribe to our regular updates or visit the Licensing page.