Currently, if a pub has more than 200 customers a special licence is required to play or host music. This is changing in the spring to “up to 500 customers between 8am and 11pm” without a special licence. Also, wrestling for an audience of up to 1000 will be allowed. All due to be introduced in the spring as new de-regulations kick in.
Of course that's great news for pubs that want to play Oasis whilst Evil Fred and Wicked Billy wrestle in the corner.
However, whilst all of this is being introduced a local council has won a case to insist that a certain pub plays music at a “barely audible level” (a level whereby an adjoining property cannot discern the lyrics, musical instruments, base beats and tunes”).
This is the same council which approved planning to convert a commercial premises into a residential house next to the very pub in question! (Which has been playing music for many years!).
So in the brave new world customers in this particular pub will struggle to discern the lyrics of any song playing but I’ll bet will hear the grunts of Fred and Billy.
Perhaps the council involved should have said when allowing the planning permission; “Approval for this new residential property will be next door to a pub that plays music (and has done so for many years). We therefore allow planning provided only that sound proofing be installed in the property prior to inhabitation, so that the music from the pub will not offend and provoke further complaints”.
Shame that this bit of common sense was not thought of. The consequence being that once again the poor landlord and his customers suffer!!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Monday 27 October 2014
Thursday 9 October 2014
Breathalysing Customers Could Fuel Alcohol Consumption
Here’s a story; in the late 19th century the worthy masters of ‘X’ town decided that the rat population was intolerable, and so they invented an incentive scheme to get rid of them. The scheme was simple; they said to the populous: “Kill a rat and bring in its tail to prove its demise, and we will pay you a farthing”. Worked brilliantly, until the law of unintended consequence kicked in and the wise guys started breeding rats because they were easier to catch! Result – the rat population grew. In other words, beware the ‘Law of unintended consequence’!
Now, I am all for the responsible retailing of alcohol (and support the 99% of operators who thus do), and all for the responsible consumption of alcohol (and the 99% of drinkers who do) but have doubts as to the introduction of breathalysing of customers to ensure they are sober – just to ENTER a licensed outlet. This is a growing initiative for night-time venues, driven by various police forces across the UK (Voluntary at present; mandatory one day?).
Here’s how one effect of unintended consequence might happen:-
Night clubs will be required to only admit ‘sober’ customers who pass a breathalyser test (they could one day be prosecuted if non-sober customers are allowed in) and so they will offer cut price drinks to stop pre-loading and thereby attract customers in at an earlier time. This will encourage Supermarkets to drive their prices even lower to protect their sales and thereby ensure pre-loading continues – thus a ‘price war’ ensues. Result; the price of alcohol gets even lower and so more will be consumed, and more consumption will bring more drunkenness. Then there could be a movement to breathalyse customers when they leave night-clubs (God forbid if this ever gets to pubs!). Then perhaps (who knows) a test for supermarkets before anyone can purchase alcohol (not sure if people will be breathalysed at home once they have consumed it, probably not, but once again who knows).
I understand (and sympathise) with the dilemma police have with drunken idiots, also the A&E departments who have to deal with them. BUT demonising alcohol is (in my view) not the answer. The answer lies more in education, peer pressure, more severe penalties for the drunken, penalties for those who sell to drunken people, social exclusion for drunks, cessation of ‘celebrities’ glorying in drunken behaviour, cessation of the redtops glorying in the celebs thus doing. Acceptance that the responsible consumption of alcohol is a positive thing, and an understanding that making alcohol more and more demonised will only enhance its attraction (remember America in the twenties).
Our current attitude to alcohol certainly requires a cultural change. But cultural change invariably comes from peer pressure. For example; 20 years ago a smoker would automatically light up in a friends house, 10 years later they would ask for permission to do so, 5 years later they would not ask, now they ask for forgiveness and go outside in the rain. By the way, it is perfectly legal to smoke in a friends house but it is not socially acceptable. THAT is cultural change!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Now, I am all for the responsible retailing of alcohol (and support the 99% of operators who thus do), and all for the responsible consumption of alcohol (and the 99% of drinkers who do) but have doubts as to the introduction of breathalysing of customers to ensure they are sober – just to ENTER a licensed outlet. This is a growing initiative for night-time venues, driven by various police forces across the UK (Voluntary at present; mandatory one day?).
Here’s how one effect of unintended consequence might happen:-
Night clubs will be required to only admit ‘sober’ customers who pass a breathalyser test (they could one day be prosecuted if non-sober customers are allowed in) and so they will offer cut price drinks to stop pre-loading and thereby attract customers in at an earlier time. This will encourage Supermarkets to drive their prices even lower to protect their sales and thereby ensure pre-loading continues – thus a ‘price war’ ensues. Result; the price of alcohol gets even lower and so more will be consumed, and more consumption will bring more drunkenness. Then there could be a movement to breathalyse customers when they leave night-clubs (God forbid if this ever gets to pubs!). Then perhaps (who knows) a test for supermarkets before anyone can purchase alcohol (not sure if people will be breathalysed at home once they have consumed it, probably not, but once again who knows).
I understand (and sympathise) with the dilemma police have with drunken idiots, also the A&E departments who have to deal with them. BUT demonising alcohol is (in my view) not the answer. The answer lies more in education, peer pressure, more severe penalties for the drunken, penalties for those who sell to drunken people, social exclusion for drunks, cessation of ‘celebrities’ glorying in drunken behaviour, cessation of the redtops glorying in the celebs thus doing. Acceptance that the responsible consumption of alcohol is a positive thing, and an understanding that making alcohol more and more demonised will only enhance its attraction (remember America in the twenties).
Our current attitude to alcohol certainly requires a cultural change. But cultural change invariably comes from peer pressure. For example; 20 years ago a smoker would automatically light up in a friends house, 10 years later they would ask for permission to do so, 5 years later they would not ask, now they ask for forgiveness and go outside in the rain. By the way, it is perfectly legal to smoke in a friends house but it is not socially acceptable. THAT is cultural change!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Friday 3 October 2014
More Spent on Drugs & Prostitution than Beer & WIne, Say Government Statistics
Whilst pubs are closing left right and centre, the drug and prostitution sectors appear to be in good health - and growing dramatically!
The Office of National Statistics have reported that consumers in the UK spend more on illegal drugs and prostitution than on beer and wine. Well, not in our village (to the best of my knowledge).
They say that £12.3 billion was spent on drugs and prostitution - but only £11 billion on Beer and Wine. So HMG gather billions in tax and duty from B & W but naff all from D &P (both D & P being recorded as miscellaneous goods and services, presumably!!)
I wonder if HMG are going to introduce as many laws for D & P as they have for B & W, and then ensure that the tax revenue grows from such activities? I doubt it, myself. Much easier to go on persecuting the poor old publican!
We run courses on Drug Awareness and preventing same, but not got into a course on prostitution yet. However, good to see there are some growth industries in the UK!
Has the world gone mad?
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Training
The Office of National Statistics have reported that consumers in the UK spend more on illegal drugs and prostitution than on beer and wine. Well, not in our village (to the best of my knowledge).
They say that £12.3 billion was spent on drugs and prostitution - but only £11 billion on Beer and Wine. So HMG gather billions in tax and duty from B & W but naff all from D &P (both D & P being recorded as miscellaneous goods and services, presumably!!)
I wonder if HMG are going to introduce as many laws for D & P as they have for B & W, and then ensure that the tax revenue grows from such activities? I doubt it, myself. Much easier to go on persecuting the poor old publican!
We run courses on Drug Awareness and preventing same, but not got into a course on prostitution yet. However, good to see there are some growth industries in the UK!
Has the world gone mad?
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Training
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