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The Government plans to axe laws requiring alcohol licensing notices to be advertised in local papersIndustry leaders have warned the proposals would shroud local communities in secrecy A consultation on the proposals ends on Thursday November 6 - and you can still have your say The deadline to have your say on the Government's plans for secret alcohol licensing notices is just days away. Ministers are running a consultation on licensing reform, which includes a proposal to remove the statutory requirement for alcohol licensing notices to be advertised in print in local papers. Industry leaders in the local news media sector have warned that the plans would shroud local communities in secrecy. If enacted, the proposal - launched on October 9 by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Business Secretary Peter Kyle - would mean that plans to open a new pub or nightclub, or for an existing venue to change its opening hours, would no longer be publicised within local communities. And independent research from OnePoll shows that local news media remains the primary source used by the public to access public notices, ahead of other sources such as social media, local authority websites, search engines, and printed mailouts. Our title, along with our sister brands across the country, has joined a national campaign to scrap the proposals and protect the public’s right to know. And we’d like to know how you would feel if those applying for a licence to sell alcohol in your community were no longer obliged to notify the community of this intention - share your views here. The Government’s official consultation on the plans closes at midday on Thursday November 6. What are the proposals? For decades, pubs seeking to apply for new licences or make changes to existing ones have been required to publish notices in their local paper. It remains one of the few consistent ways for residents to be informed about changes in their area. But the proposal to move the process online could mean fewer people ever see these notices, raising questions over transparency and the public’s right to know. Ash Corbett-Collins, chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), told us that while modernising regulations makes sense, this particular change won’t solve the fundamental challenges facing the sector. He says removing alcohol licensing notices is but “a small change,” and one that is unlikely to impact the day-to-day running of a local pub. “I've never met a publican who said ‘the biggest problem for me making changes to my pub is I need to put a notice in the local newspaper,” he said. How can I share my views? The Government is running a call for evidence to collect views and evidence to inform its reform of the licensing system. Who should respond: members of the public licensed businesses and trade bodies local authorities and licensing officers police and other enforcement agencies cultural and community organisations residents’ advocacy groups legal, planning and regulatory professionals public health organisations local news publishers You can respond to the call for evidence online, or download the consultation PDF - including in accessible format - on the Gov.UK website.
