Council To Hold Conference On Licensing Laws

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Monday, October 20, between 1pm and 5pm.

Pub landlords, nightclub owners, shopkeepers, solicitors and others involved in the drinks and entertainment industry are being invited to a special conference at Wandsworth town hall next week.

The conference, which will be addressed by a panel of experts, will examine the impact on the borough of the recent changes to the country's licensing laws.

The aim of the conference will be to identify issues that concern both the industry and the bodies that regulate it and to consider ways in which the licensing laws could be improved and made more effective.

Among the topics discussed will be:

Have the new laws led to an increase in binge drinking and alcohol-related crime?

What progress has the Government made towards its objective of a safe and sensible drinking culture? 

What has been the effect on the licensed trade in Wandsworth?

What has been the effect of the smoking ban on the licensed trade

 

Among the keynote speakers discussing these issues will be representatives from the pub and drinks industry, the police, the NHS, the fire brigade and the local authority. These include Tobias Ellwood, shadow licensing minister; Borough police commander Chief Supt Stuart Low; Martin Rawlins of the British Beer & Pub Association and Graham Turner from the Gambling Commission.

Businesses who attend will be offered free advice, information and training plus the chance to raise awareness of the issues affecting their trade.

The initiative also aims to ensure that licensed premises that sell alcohol or provide late night entertainment and refreshment in the borough comply fully with the law.

 

October 16, 2008