A minute on the clock: Martin Rawlings

04 August 2005
A minute on the clock: Martin Rawlings

Martin Rawlings has been tackling the licensing regulations for 12 years as director of pub and leisure for the British Beer and Pub Association. He spoke to Charlotte Walsh about the new act

When did you first get involved with the new licensing regulations? Right at the beginning in 1997. We tried to get an industry position together to put something forward to the Government. It started out with us trying to hammer it out, and that was the precursor to the White Paper. I've sat through hundreds of meetings since then.

Will the licensing regime provide a better system for operators? It still has the potential to do so, but it depends on how it is done locally. Most councils have approached it in the spirit with which it was intended, but a few want to make it difficult.

How could the Government have improved its handling of the situation? It made a number of major errors. It should have renewed licences last year, and brought the regulations out earlier, or delayed the entire process. It's overly complicated and there are too many people involved. The systems should have all been tested in advance to find the glitches.

What mistakes would you like to see avoided with the new Scottish legislation? All of the above. It's in danger of becoming more nanny-state than ours, especially as they're including health. It's doomed to failure.

Do you agree with the official line of not extending the 24 November start date?
Extending it would send out the wrong message. Pubs have spent time, money and effort on it, so they shouldn't be denied the opportunity of getting the licence. I think the date will stay, but there may be concessions, depending on how much of a political embarrassment it is, for example if the church hall can't have their Christmas party.

You won a court order against Canterbury council overstepping the mark. Is this still an issue, or is there a level playing field for operators? Other councils ought to learn the lesson from Canterbury when they apply policies. Certain councils will be taken to court, and they will lose. But there are no more than 30 we've identified.

Will operators end up paying more, given that councils are already complaining they don't have enough funds? Councils have to demonstrate that they need the money, and I don't think they will. It is only a handful of premises causing trouble and needing tough action.

Do you think the licence fees should be changed? Broadly, they should stay the same. There are one or two anomalies, but any system will throw up problems.

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