The BBPA’s Brigid Simmonds was among UK business leaders and regulators yesterday, at a round table at the Department of Business Innovation & Skills, to discuss progress under the ‘Focus on Enforcement’ review programme.
The meeting was attended by Secretary of State Vince Cable and Business & Enterprise Minister Matt Hancock. The pub industry was one of several to have a Focus on Enforcement’ review.
“The success of the pubs review has been to encourage local authorities to consider a risk based approach to enforcement for pubs,” comments Brigid Simmonds of the British Beer & Pub Association.
“New guidance on the use of CCTV has also helped to encourage a proper assessment about whether it is really necessary.”
The BBPA will continue to work with the Government on ways to improve regulation in the sector, and is currently working on using the recent ‘Primary Authority’ legislation, which allows a trade association to work on behalf of its members with a ‘Primary Authority’ to ensure consistent enforcement across different local authority areas.
‘Primary Authority’ gives businesses the right to form a statutory partnership with a single local authority, which then provides advice to other councils when carrying out inspections or dealing with non-compliance. It has great potential to reduce cost and complexity for pub operators when it comes to both underage sales and fire safety – a point Brigid Simmonds made at the meeting.
Brigid Simmonds adds:
“Overzealous enforcement for pubs adds to costs. We will continue to urge partnerships as the most effective way forward, and encourage the Government to look at extending Primary Authority to licensing conditions.
“Pubs are hugely important to local communities and over 80 per cent of pubs are small businesses. I welcome the ongoing support from DBIS to help ensure that regulation for pubs is proportionate and light-touch.”
Ends
For further information please contact:
David Wilson, Public Affairs Director: Tel (020) 7627 9151
Neil Williams, Head of Media: (020) 7627 9156
Notes to editors:
The DBIS news release is available here
The British Beer & Pub Association is the leading body representing Britain’s brewers and pub companies. The Association is more than a century old and was originally founded as the Brewers’ Society in 1904. Our members account for some 90 per cent of beer brewed in Britain today, and own around 20,000 of the nation’s pubs.
Neil Williams
Head of Media
British Beer & Pub Association
British Beer & Pub Association
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