24-hour drinking
Tuesday, 04 Mar 2008 08:58
Government review of 24-hour drinking published
The government's policy of 24-hour drinking will be defended today in a government review.
A review by the Culture Department is set to conclude that 24-hour drinking, enabled by the Licensing Act, has achieved "excellent" results in some areas but could do better.
Overall the policy, which was cast into doubt by Gordon Brown in one of his first pronouncements as prime minister, will be scored seven out of ten.
But critics claim 24-hour drinking has failed to tackle binge drinking, despite promises that it would prevent pub-goers from drinking to excess in the run-up to an 11 o'clock closing time.
Ministers argue binge drinking is now driven by licensees supplying alcohol to young people and relatively unaffected by the round-the-clock availability of alcohol for responsible drinkers.
The act has allowed these adults to enjoy more freedom in the way they drink and has not led to more crime, supporters claim.
However, to tackle underage drinking, the government will today announced a red and yellow card scheme for irresponsible licensees as well as increasing fines for drinking in public areas from £500 to £2,500.
The largely positive review is published a day after council leaders branded the policy a "catastrophe" and the relationship between 24-hour drinking and violent crime and anti-social behaviour will inevitably be subject to varied interpretations.