Yet Another Bulletin Board
Sponsored by: The Fans!
Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register.
Nov 25th, 2024, 5:43pm

Upcoming Premiere Dates:
Survivor 23, Season premiere
Thursday, September 14 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on CBS
Home Home Help Help Search Search Members Members Chat Chat Member Map Member Map Login Login Register Register

| Fantasy Survivor Game | Music Forums | The '80s Server Forums | Shop Online |


Metropolis Reality Forums « Drinks firms 'to pay for police' »

   Metropolis Reality Forums
   Off-Topic Forums
   In the News (Moderators: lakelady, yesteach, MediaScribe, Bumper, Isle_be_back)
   Drinks firms 'to pay for police' 		Previous topic | New Topic | Next topic »
Pages: 1  Reply Reply Add Poll Add Poll Notify of replies Notify of replies Send Topic Send Topic Print Print
   Author  Topic: Drinks firms 'to pay for police'  (Read 165 times)
Sparkysback
ForumsNet Member
United_Kingdom 
***




I love YaBB 1G - SP1!

   
View Profile WWW

Gender: male
 Posts: 260
Drinks firms 'to pay for police'
« on: Jan 21st, 2005, 2:52am »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
The drinks industry will be forced to pay towards policing town centres when 24-hour drinking is introduced, the government is set to announce.
 
Ministers are expected to outline the levy as fears grown that new opening hours for England and Wales could worsen public disorder.
 
There are concerns that Britons are drinking too heavily
 
Pub groups, who expected a voluntary charge, say they already have to pay more for police in the form of taxes.  
 
A steep rise in the cost of a licence to sell alcohol is also expected.  
 
Extra costs
 
The Association of Chief Police Officers has backed calls for a compulsory levy on the drinks trade to pay for extra policing hours.  
 
Under the plans, pubs which offer drinks promotions and those associated with high levels of alcohol-fuelled crime are most likely to be targeted.
 
But the government has yet to work out how to implement the charges so that well-run bars do not have to pay the extra costs, says BBC News home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw.  
 
Mark Hastings, from the British Beer and Pub Association, said a new levy would be unfair.
 
The drinks industry says it is already paying enough
 
"What we contribute already outweighs what they spend on the policy by double," he said.  
 
"We cannot see how there's any justification for raising yet another tax from our sector."  
 
Extra costs
 
Pubs and bars are also braced for higher charges for a licence.  
 
Last November the government proposed charging pubs a one-off payment of between £80 and £500, as well as an annual fee of between £40 and £225.  
 
But ministers are expected to reveal significantly increased fees in the wake of local councils' fears of cash shortfalls as they run the new scheme.  
 
The government announcement was expected after the Metropolitan Police chief Sir John Stevens said the new licensing laws, due to be introduced next month, should be re-examined because of a binge drinking "epidemic".  
 
"There has been a major trend towards drunken, loutish behaviour: assaults on police are up 40%. It's not just London - it's nationwide," he told the London Evening Standard.  
 
"I feel now that we should just slow down a little on this proposal ... let's have another look at what all-hours drinking could mean."
 
Shadow home secretary David Davis said Sir John's opinions reflected the concerns of "thousands" of police officers, doctors and members of the public.  
 
"With many of our towns and cities already no-go areas on Friday and Saturday nights, pressing ahead with plans to allow pubs and clubs to open 24 hours a day would be irresponsible."  
 
 
But a spokesman for the Department of Culture said: "Graduated closing times will help to reduce binge drinking and cut the anti-social behaviour which accompanies it."  
 
Source
« Last Edit: Jan 22nd, 2005, 2:23am by Sparkysback » IP Logged
Back to top
Pages: 1  Reply Reply Add Poll Add Poll Notify of replies Notify of replies Send Topic Send Topic Print Print

Previous topic | New Topic | Next topic »

Metropolis Reality Forums » Powered by YaBB 1 Gold - SP 1.3.1!
YaBB © 2000-2003. All Rights Reserved.