England braced for new drinking laws

Thursday, 24 November 2005 12:00 AM

Pubs and clubs across England and Wales will be able to open all night from today after new licensing laws came into effect at midnight last night.

Up to 70,000 licensed premises are thought to have applied to extend their opening hours beyond 11pm, although only about 350 are believed to have won the right to open 24 hours.

Ministers argue that Licensing Act 2003 will give police and local communities greater powers to tackle rogue licensees that serve minors or are at the centre of drunken disorder. It takes licensing powers away from magistrates, and gives them to local authorities.

However, critics - most vocally the Conservatives - argue that allowing pubs to open longer will only exacerbate alcohol-fuelled violence, particularly in the run-up to Christmas.

Welcoming the introduction of the new law last night, culture secretary Tessa Jowell denied the law would encourage all-night drinking, saying only 0.5 per cent of premises have applied for a 24-hour license, and many of them did not intend to use it regularly.

"The vast majority of adults drink alcohol. Most people live within walking distance of a pub or bar. Alcohol is part of our national life. That's why these new laws are so important," she said.

"For too long we have allowed a small minority to rule the streets at night and our main recourse has been a national curfew. This was unfair in principle and wrong in practice.

"From today we have got our priorities right. Yobbish behaviour will be cracked down on and adults will be treated like grown ups."

The new law increases penalties for selling alcohol to under-18s, and gives local residents the right to ask for a review of an existing license at any time, or to challenge a new application.

The Home Office has previously said that arrests for drunken disorder were likely to rise under the new legislation, and this was seized upon by the Tories who saw it as an admission that crime would increase.

Shadow culture secretary Theresa May warned: "It is clear that the government have finally realised that longer drinking will mean more crime and disorder.

"No matter how many panicked initiatives they announce, it will be the police and the public who will have to deal with the consequences of the government's mistakes."

However, last night home secretary Charles Clarke said the government was determined to tackle alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour "in all its forms".

"We believe that the Licensing Act will help to reduce alcohol fuelled disorder by providing the police with new tough powers to close down problem bars and increase penalties for premises that sell to underage drinkers, while at the same time ensuring that the law abiding majority can enjoy a drink when they wish," he said.

Last week, Tory leadership frontrunner David Cameron admitted he was in favour of licensing law reform that would allow pubs and clubs to have staggered closing times, and prevent the situation where thousands of revellers spill out onto the streets at the same time.

He defended his party's stance, however - which saw Conservative MPs force a highly unusual vote in the Commons earlier this month on the issue - by saying that the new laws should not be introduced so soon before the festive season.

A Populus poll conducted in September found that 62 per cent of people opposed the changes to the law, with women in particular against the measure, by three to one.

Four out of five of the over-65s are opposed to the licensing law changes, although, unsurprisingly, the 18- to 24-year-old bracket are broadly in favour of longer drinking hours.

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