Wigan Council’s licensing chief has welcomed plans included in this month’s Queen’s Speech to curb binge drinking.
Under government proposals for a new Crime and Policing Bill, pubs and clubs will have to sign up to a compulsory code of conduct, giving councils the power to ban cut-price promotions in pubs and bars that are linked to alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour.
The proposals include a ban on ‘all you can drink’ offers and bar promotions directed at specific groups, such as women, but there will be no blanket ban on happy hours. Instead this will be left to the discretion of local councils.
Cllr John Hilton, the council’s licensing committee chairman, said:
“Wigan is one of the safer places to have a night out in Greater Manchester and we want to keep it that way. I’ve no doubt that the growth in cut price alcohol offers and Buy One Get One Free promotions do lead to greater alcohol consumption, and we support anything that encourages more responsible drinking.”
The new compulsory code would require all staff selling alcohol to be properly trained, and signs displaying how much alcohol a drink contains must be displayed by the bar. Bars and pubs will also have to offer small glasses of wine, rather than large measures only.
