The Licensing Act 2003 whilst it freed the drinks industry has in many ways failed to protect local residents from the effects of an alcohol based night time economy.
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering asks some very sensible questions:
The Licensing Act 2003 enabled premises to serve alcohol for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While many heralded the Act as the start of a more continental drinking culture, others predicted round-the-clock consumption, leading to disorder and a deterioration in public health.
"But what has the reality actually been like? Has deregulation allowed the drinks industry to thrive? Have drinkers embraced a more relaxed and healthier approach to alcohol? What happened to the anticipated café culture?
"For good or ill, the Licensing Act has altered the drinking landscape of England and Wales, but an examination of the changes is long overdue. I would therefore encourage as many people as possible to send us written evidence before our deadline of 2 September."
In my opinion as a town centre resident and a local councillor the Act does not recognise the considerable difference between the evening economy, which I think ends at about midnight and the night-time economy that starts about midnight. The problems of excessive drinking on the whole happen during the early hours of the morning.
The Act also fails to encourage drinking to be sociable as against drinking to get drunk. Directly opposite our house are two restaurants where the licence is for waiter / waitress service to table with a substantial meal. This clearly defines those premises as restaurants and they are very rarely a problem to us. There is a third and at the moment empty unit that was a bar until its licence lapsed and it was refused a renewal. The bar was a major problem to us under 4 different owners. As is normal in this country the drinks were served from a bar not to the table. There were far fewer tables and chairs than were required to enable patrons to sit. Recorded music was often played so loudly that conversation within the premises was difficult.
The problems caused by people who are drunk effect residents beyond the town or city centres. As a councillor I get contacted by those living on the main routes out of town, whose sleep has been shattered and or suffered vandalism.
I believe that the Committee needs to take on board the difference between the evening economy and night-time economy. I hope it would also consider measures that would discourage drinking to get drunk which is inherently anti-social rather than drinking as part of genuinely social occasion.
2 September 2016