The government is launching a fast-track review to tear up outdated licensing rules which, it says, have been holding back pubs, bars, and local event organisers.
It is consulting on the matter and wants to hear from the people who know best: landlords, punters, and communities.
For years, red tape has made it harder for pubs to serve food outside, host live music, or even stay open, with some historic venues forced to shut over noise complaints or outdated advertising rules.
Now, a four-week Call for Evidence is giving people the chance to help fix it. Take part here.
“Pubs and bars are the beating heart of our communities,” said prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. “Under our Plan for Change, we’re backing them to thrive.
“This review is about cutting red tape, boosting footfall, and making it easier for venues to put on the kind of events that bring people together. When our locals do well, our economy does, too.”
Nick Mackenzie, co-chair of the Licensing Taskforce and chief executive of Greene King, said: “Modernising the licensing system is a vital step towards reducing the red-tape that has stifled businesses for too long.
“Swift consultation on the Licensing Taskforce’s recommendations is key, and we urge the government and industry to work together to ensure changes are made at pace to address the challenges of running a modern hospitality business.
“Pubs are faced with continued rising costs, placing them under enormous pressures, which is why the government must continue to back the sector, including critical reforms on business rates which would unlock opportunities for pubs to invest and help drive economic growth.”
The call for evidence will focus on nine key recommendations from the government’s Licensing Taskforce, with particular emphasis on streamlining on-trade alcohol licensing for hospitality venues.
Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality, said: “Moving to a new and improved licensing system that works for modern hospitality businesses is critical, and I’m pleased the government is acting swiftly on the recommendations of the Licensing Taskforce.
“The taskforce, steered by UKHospitality and other industry leaders, resolved to recapture the original intent of the Licensing Act to encourage growth and meet consumer needs. The measures we’ve put forward and now taken on by the government, including the National Licensing Policy Framework and licensing condition amnesty, help to achieve that goal.
“During this call for evidence, I urge all hospitality businesses to support these measures, to ensure that they are delivered in full. However, I am clear that these changes are absolutely not a silver bullet to solve the existential cost challenges hospitality businesses are facing.”
She added: “While we have grasped this once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise the licensing system, we continue to campaign vociferously for material change to reduce the sector’s cost burden at the Budget.
“Hospitality is being taxed out, and we need the government to lower business rates, fix NICs, and cut VAT to reverse the damage done by last year’s Budget, which has so far seen 84,000 hospitality jobs lost.”
