Keir Starmer has vowed to cut red tape for pubs in a bid to revitalise the ailing hospitality industry following a spate of venue closures.
The prime minister has unveiled a four-week “blitz” survey of landlords, customers and neighbours, in a review expected to result in a bonfire of old licensing rules, amid fears some historic venues have shut over noise complaints or advertising concerns.
“Pubs and bars are the beating heart of our communities,” Sir Keir said, adding that the Government was “backing them to thrive”.
“This review is about cutting red tape, boosting footfall, and making it easier for venues to put on the kind of events that bring people together.
“When our locals do well, our economy does too.”
The call for evidence follows a probe by the Government’s licensing taskforce, which ended earlier this year.
Among its recommendations was a proposal to remove a newspaper advertising requirement when a manager wants to set up a premises or alter their licence, as well as a permanent increase to the number of temporary event notices which landlords can apply for from 15 covering 21 days per year, to “ideally” 25 covering 30 days, and simpler rules for trading in outdoor areas.
Alcohol tax on the cards
Starmer’s expressed support for pubs comes despite calls from an influential left-leaning think tank to hike taxes on alcohol in a bid to improve productivity.
The Institute for Public Policy Research said young people felt pressured into drinking with colleagues to advance their career, while staff coming into the office with hangovers weren’t working as hard as their teetotal counterparts.
The group called for action on the “cheapest, strongest drinks which cause the most harm” by introducing a minimum unit price to be set on alcohol, as well as an annual increase on alcohol duty by an above-inflation rate.
The pub industry is still reeling from steep cost pressures introduced in last year’s Budget, including sharp hikes to employer national insurance contributions (NICs) and minimum wage rates. More than 300 pubs across Britain are expected to shutter by the end of the year.
“The answer to the crisis facing pubs and the night time economy is not yet another Whitehall call for evidence,” said shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith.
“This anti-fun, prohibitionist government needs to get on with implementing the recommendations from the licensing taskforce published back in June, not endlessly delaying whilst it’s literally ‘last orders’ for many pubs and businesses in the hospitality sector.”