Call for an end to 24 hour licensing

MEP Paul Nuttall

A return to traditional closing times for pubs and clubs to curb violence and disorderly behaviour which is causing misery in towns and villages up and down the country is being called for by local MEP Paul Nuttall.

"Alcohol-fuelled crime costs England and Wales around £11billion a year which is clearly unacceptable," said Mr Nuttall, UKIP deputy leader.

"It is also a terrible drain on the emergency services and the NHS, which are already buckling under the strain of financial restraints and staff shortages.

"Home Offices figures show 104 town centres have become trouble spots since the change in licensing laws in 2005 and around 400,000 people have been fined for being drunken and disorderly.

"Their figures also reveal that the number of town centres and neighbourhoods officially classed as being overrun by problem pubs and bars has rocketed by 150%," said Mr Nuttall, Euro-MP for the North West.

"At the end of March 2007, when the licensing laws had been relaxed for just over a year, there were only 71 of these 'cumulative impact zones' in the UK. Home Office officials say the figure has now soared to 175.

"Worryingly the most recent set of government figures shows the number of pubs and clubs with round-the-clock alcohol licences has soared by more than a fifth."

There were 1,100 premises with a 24-hour licence in England and Wales at the end of March – a rise of 200 on the previous year. Home Office figures also showed there was a significant increase in the number of shops and supermarkets with a 24-hour alcohol licence, up 10 per cent year-on-year to 2,300.

"But even without these figures we are all too aware of how the problem has escalated and the impact on the lives of ordinary decent citizens," said Mr Nuttall.

"The whole Labour concept of introducing a continental-style 'cafe' culture into the UK was inherently flawed and we are paying the price. There must be an urgent change in the licensing laws so that there are fixed closing times, such as 11.30 pm for pubs and off-licences and 3 pm for clubs.

"I would also argue that licensing decisions should be returned to magistrates and not in the hands of local authorities," added Mr Nuttall.