In the wake of the storm

The pub industry generally kept its head down last week as the storm over 24-hour opening and binge drinking broke over it with a vengeance. Everyone with an angle was having a go – politicians, policemen, the press. Ferocious stuff it was at times. The crescendo came on Friday with the Government’s hastily gathered package of new licence fees, disorder zones and banning orders, all prompting more pages of comment and conjecture on their wisdom, effectiveness or foolhardiness. The process did little to alter the balance of either the arguments or prejudices of the protagonists, with the Daily Mail and Evening Standard newspaper stable still producing its pre-prepared and predictable headlines that 24-hour opening was here and the pub trade had got away scot-free. The industry’s reaction to the onslaught has been restrained and limited, and probably rightly so. The principle line of defence, usually set out in the media by the BBPA, has been that the industry already pays enough, some £21bn a year to the Treasury. The BBPA was critical of Friday’s measures, talking of the unfairness of disorder zones and new fee levels, the damage to small businesses and the minimal effect the proposals would have on the core problem of alcohol-fuelled violence and disorder. But, so far no industry leader has seen the need or opportunity to step forward with any new industry-led initiatives. Wetherspoon’s Tim Martin reportedly called the Home Office’s legislators "morons", but by his standards even that’s subdued. So what next? The storm, in the press at least, will now subside – The Sunday Times’ claim that two-thirds of pubs will open after midnight probably one of the last serious blasts for the moment. But the central problem of alcohol and disorder, and its wider repercussions, remain. The need for operators to address the now heightened concerns, rational or not, of the police, local councils and a large section of the public, that has no idea of the niceties of the Licensing Act, is even greater. There will be a temptation for some in the business to simply brush themselves down, have a moan at the Government and pretend last week’s wall of criticism didn’t happen. That would be a mistake. I suspect the opportunity will not be missed and industry leaders will now use the opening for "consultation" with Government to try to engage in more constructive conversations. To the surprise of some, ministers spoke encouragingly on Friday of the advances the likes of Wetherspoon and Yates Group have already made in addressing binge-drinking, so dialogue is possible. There is a long list of issues stemming just from Friday’s announcements and no little clarification needed. However, to gain concessions that the Government would find palatable in the run up to an election, the industry may reluctantly have to give more. Last week, I suggested it might consider funding some real research into town-centre trouble that would monitor and measure the reality of the situation, in the expectation that it can be reduced, might be one positive move. Also, leading operators might pledge that none will apply for any new extensions to existing hours for at least a year, or no new extensions of more than an extra hour? To take it further, the industry perhaps should also start talking about its vision for town centres, and the businesses in them, two, three or five years down the line. Britain’s town centres have to change, and the pub and bar market should think about leading that change. The licensed retail sector has this week seen the strength and breadth of opposition to the ways thinks are now.