Health campaigners welcome greater input on licensing decisions

50% of people in the North West avoid their town centres at night because of the drunken behaviour of others

North West health campaign Our Life today welcomed new government plans to give local communities more powers to influence licensing decisions as part of a range of measures to tackle alcohol-fueled crime and anti-social behaviour.

Proposals to give the public a greater say in the granting of pub licenses and new plans to ensure that health concerns are considered when assessing license applications, were announced today by Home Secretary Theresa May as part of a new public consultation on the Licensing Act.

Our Life chief executive Dr Alison Giles said: “Our research has shown that nearly 50% of people in the North West avoid their town centres at night because of the drunken behaviour of others, so giving the public a say in when, where and how new licenses are granted is a good idea. Our Life will continue to present strong evidence and public support to make the case for effective measures to tackle alcohol harm.”

On new plans to ensure health concerns are considered, Dr Giles said: “Our Life has long argued for licensing to take account of health considerations and we welcome the fact that the government has come round to this way of thinking,” said Dr Giles.

Commenting on the government’s plans to introduce a ban on the sale of below-cost alcohol, Dr Giles said: “The most effective method of enforcing a ban on below-cost selling is to introduce a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol and Our Life will continue to campaign for its introduction.”

Our Life will be encouraging its members and stakeholders to respond to the consultation to ensure that the views of the public and health professionals across the North West are heard on the government’s plans for licensing.