The Local Government Association wants to see the Licensing Act updated to include a public health objective and allow for action where premises fail to protect the health of their communities. Councils also need greater access to NHS data, including hospital admissions and ambulance call-out details to assist decision making.
Councils can only currently consider four issues when deciding whether to grant licences – the prevention of crime and disorder; public safety; prevention of public nuisance; and protection of children from harm.
I very much support this. In most cases, it would make no difference to the granting of a license but allowing a more balanced view of the application and giving the licensee a focus on public health considerations would be very welcome and would nudge forward improvements in licensing takeaways and pubs etc.
Councillor Mike Cordingley
I love hearing your views