Thousands of Scottish pubs could be forced to close their doors on 1 September if their new licence applications are not processed in time.
The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) has formally written to the Scottish Government's cabinet secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill MSP, requesting a moratorium on the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.
The Act requires pubs to have a designated premises manager to sell alcohol and comes into force on 1 September but Patrick Browne, chief executive of the SBPA said that at least one in 10 applications still needs to be processed.
“It has become clear from feedback from our members that there are major problems with the introduction of the new licensing regime,” he said.
“As many as two thirds have not yet actually been issued to licensees making it very difficult for our members to begin training their staff in the actual conditions attaching to their licences. Thousands of licensees could be forced to close their doors through no fault of their own."
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By Emma White
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