Clause 5 - General duties of licensing authorities
Licensing Bill [Lords]
10:45 am
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight, Conservative)
I have not forgotten, but I did not know that there was any reference to alcohol in the title.
The Bill is not to do with controlling society, but it is to do with the consequences of a much more liberal licensing regime on those who may suffer under it. I am not suggesting that the licensing regime should not be liberal; I am suggesting that local authorities should be required to pay proper attention to the consequences, among which are the noise and other effects of people gathering in the streets late at night. The Minister has accepted that, because he has
justified staggering closing hours—there not being a fixed closing time—by saying that that measure will reduce noise and disruption in the streets of our towns and cities between 11 and 12 o'clock and 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning.
The Minister accepts that the Bill will have consequences and I am arguing about those. I do not dispute that there will be an alleviation of the consequences of everyone flooding out of pubs between 11 and 12 o'clock. However, there may be additional noise and some displacement in towns that do not have a significant problem at that time of night.
Many of my constituents contend that noise at 3 am is less acceptable than noise between 11 pm and midnight. I say that with absolute confidence because I live in the centre of Cowes and during Cowes week people are prepared to put up with noise between 2 and 3 am, but they would prefer not to put up with it at that time every week throughout the summer.
Such noise is acceptable during some special events and people are prepared to put up with it, but they do not want to be disturbed every night, especially on week day nights, particularly if they are in the serious business of providing public services, such as transport, postal or ferry services and have to be up in time to drive the first bus or operate the first ferry. People worry about the noise consequences and about the leakage of noise—not just noise caused on the premises, but that caused by people assembling outside. The draft guidance says that the local authority
''statement of policy should make clear that licensing law is not a mechanism'',
which the Minister has already asserted,
''for the general control of anti-social behaviour by individuals once they are beyond the direct control of the individual, club or business holding the licence''.
Of course, it is not meant to be such a mechanism, but my examples would be consequent on allowing many licences. Indeed, that is acknowledged further on, because the guidance refers to cumulative effect.