ALE Summer 2004 No. 314 : Next section

The late Licensing Act 2003

The Government has not yet set what fees can be charged by local authorities, which seem certain to be far higher than the £10 or so charged by magistrates courts currently.

The new licensing regime is bound to be used by the Government as an important weapon in its crackdown on anti-social behaviour in town-centre drinking circuits.

However the media's obsession over 24-hour drinking still seems misplaced: there's no sign of any enthusiasm to permit it on a widespread basis, mainly due to fears over public order.

In the meantime the Home Office has urged police forces to use the Licensing Act 1902 to ban drinkers from buying alcohol for three years if they are caught more than three times causing trouble whilst drunk. They also urge police to make more use of legislation from 1980 to obtain exclusion orders, following convictions for violence in pubs.

Ian Kitching

• -> The Publican 7-Jul-2004: Licensing Act timetable confirmed
• -> The Publican 23-Jun-2004: Home Office pushes century old legislation
• -> The Publican 23-Jun-2004: Doorman licence fiasco highlighted in Westminster