"Call me Dave" (Cameron) couldn’t get it introduced, and so Newcastle City Council have gone alone and have introduced a minimum price per unit of alcohol of 50p as a price condition for all new licensed premises - in the on and off trades across the city.
Licensing solicitors John Gaunt suggest that this is not mandatory as the council says that it will 'encourage' compliance and says "it will be interesting to see what happens if and when the Licensing Authority choose to impose such a condition, and whether it will then stand up to the scrutiny of the higher courts".
Newcastle first, the rest of the country tomorrow?
Interesting eh?
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Showing posts with label minimum alcohol pricing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label minimum alcohol pricing. Show all posts
Friday, 6 September 2013
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Minimum Pricing of Alcohol To Be Dropped
"Call me Dave" Cameron has seen the light and backed away from his "Tough on alcohol pricing" commitment and will be walking away from the plan and eating his words.
I argued with myself in previous blogs and finally came down on the side of supporting the idea, on the grounds that any initiative to reduce the retail price gap twixt pubs and supermarkets would benefit pubs. Well now it’s gone (or going away) to be replaced by a more modest policy with the introduction of a ban on selling very cheap prices or loss leaders.
Most informed people within the industry thought it would never happen, and so it has proved to be. So pubs continue with the challenge to sell on "Value" not on "Price", and what fabulous value. Meet your pals, enjoy good company, watch a match, eat great pub grub, stop being lonely, sit by a warm fire, read a newspaper, play darts , find a romance, contribute to a charity, entertain friends, listen to a band, laugh, tell jokes, hear jokes and much more.
So a pint sat at home for £1.20 versus all of the above for another £1. No contest in my view!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
I argued with myself in previous blogs and finally came down on the side of supporting the idea, on the grounds that any initiative to reduce the retail price gap twixt pubs and supermarkets would benefit pubs. Well now it’s gone (or going away) to be replaced by a more modest policy with the introduction of a ban on selling very cheap prices or loss leaders.
Most informed people within the industry thought it would never happen, and so it has proved to be. So pubs continue with the challenge to sell on "Value" not on "Price", and what fabulous value. Meet your pals, enjoy good company, watch a match, eat great pub grub, stop being lonely, sit by a warm fire, read a newspaper, play darts , find a romance, contribute to a charity, entertain friends, listen to a band, laugh, tell jokes, hear jokes and much more.
So a pint sat at home for £1.20 versus all of the above for another £1. No contest in my view!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Thursday, 18 April 2013
A Plea For Minimum Alcohol Pricing Leadership
In a Blog some months ago I had a torturous argument with myself as to whether I supported Minimum Pricing or not, eventually on the grounds that it would contribute somewhat to helping The British Pub, I came down in favour of a Yes!
Now today 12 very influential CEOs within our industry have written in the Telegraph with a similar plea to “Call me Dave” to “stick to his guns” and bring in the measure.
The argument goes something like this:
Minimum pricing will not solve all of our alcohol-related ills, but it will help to encourage responsible drinking and curb excessive drinking. All too often customers arrive at licensed premises already blitzed, often to be refused entrance. They then go onto cause mayhem in town centres which in turn reflects badly on pubs and clubs, but its nothing to do with them because the alcohol has been consumed at home beforehand!! Pretty unfair, Eh?
In their letter, they urge Dave (my term) “not to waste the opportunity” and ask that he continues to show courage and leadership in theses difficult times. Bit of a different degree of courage that Maggie (God rest her soul) had to show when the Falklands were invaded. But never the less Dave needs to follow up his pledge of some time ago that minimum Pricing is a pillar of conservative policy.
The Treasury are opposing the introduction, and several ministers have argued that it will penalise the majority of drinkers - so time to be counted Dave. The British pub needs all of the support it can get. 1 million jobs, £8 billion raised in taxes!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Training
Now today 12 very influential CEOs within our industry have written in the Telegraph with a similar plea to “Call me Dave” to “stick to his guns” and bring in the measure.
The argument goes something like this:
Minimum pricing will not solve all of our alcohol-related ills, but it will help to encourage responsible drinking and curb excessive drinking. All too often customers arrive at licensed premises already blitzed, often to be refused entrance. They then go onto cause mayhem in town centres which in turn reflects badly on pubs and clubs, but its nothing to do with them because the alcohol has been consumed at home beforehand!! Pretty unfair, Eh?
In their letter, they urge Dave (my term) “not to waste the opportunity” and ask that he continues to show courage and leadership in theses difficult times. Bit of a different degree of courage that Maggie (God rest her soul) had to show when the Falklands were invaded. But never the less Dave needs to follow up his pledge of some time ago that minimum Pricing is a pillar of conservative policy.
The Treasury are opposing the introduction, and several ministers have argued that it will penalise the majority of drinkers - so time to be counted Dave. The British pub needs all of the support it can get. 1 million jobs, £8 billion raised in taxes!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Training
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