Three years on, what's changed?

(From Off Licence News)

As the DCMS published its review of the Licensing Act 2003, the media and politicians whipped up another storm of controversy about exactly what the law has achieved.

There is no question that the old, magistrate-focused licensing system had to go. And go it did, replaced with personal and premises licences, with electorally accountable licensing authorities at the helm. But at the same time, the government took the decision to effectively extend licensing hours right round the clock, by removing authorities' right to object unless they received complaints from police or public.

When the Licensing Act (2003) received Royal Assent in Parliament, Culture Secretary at the time Tessa Jowell said it balanced "liberalisation and deregulation with new levels of protection for local residents and communities". The DCMS press statement of the time said that the removal of artificially fixed closing times would "encourage a more civilised culture in pubs, bars and restaurants".

But, three years after its introduction, the new licensing law has not turned the UK into a nation of clog-wearing, latte-sipping luvvies.

Last week, Local Government Association chairman and leader of Westminster Council Simon Milton told The Telegraph that the Licensing Act had "failed miserably".

"Historically, this country has had a problem with drink and the chief measure we had to control the problem was licensing hours," Milton told the newspaper.