A licence for disorder and dangerous drinking

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Title – A licence for disorder and dangerous drinking
Source – The Daily Telegraph
Date – 23rd July 2008

This commentary on the situation within the licensed retail sector is certainly one of many fragmented opinions that different sections of the community and government are vocalising more and more.

There is a sense of fragmentation in opinion both within the industry and within public opinion.

Ask young people going out for a drink on a Friday night if they are doing anything wrong and they will tell you that they work hard all week and enjoy their weekends.

Ask the same question of some politicians and they will refer to them as binge drinkers and a burden on society.

Ask responsible alcohol retailers their opinion and they will tell you they spend a great deal on training and enforcement to ensure that these individuals can drink safely and socialise in secure environments.

Ask the drink manufacturers and many will tell you they are trying their best but they are too detached from the end consumer to enforce their best practice guidelines and rely on the retailer to follow their guidance.

Alcohol retailers know their responsibilities, these are drilled into them during the National Certificate for Personal License Holders Course (NCPLH) and the associated examination they need to pass in order to apply and obtain a Personal Licence. But these same retailers are also competing in a market place in which 27 pubs a week are closing (source BBPA 2008), they face fierce competition from cut-price supermarkets, a severe downturn in the economy, tax increases, higher food and fuel prices and even the lack of the bi-annual bonus of a major football championship; all of which are squeezing their margins.

Things are hard all round, retailers are not getting anything but pressure from all sides. There are undoubtedly irresponsible retailers out there and they should be stopped, because they are the ones adding the already unbearable pressure that is not only forcing unprecedented closures, but driving out even the best retailers through exasperation.

Responsible alcohol retailers would welcome a clamp down on those that retail irresponsibly; it would allow them to compete on a more level playing field, give even greater importance to their quality of service and reduce the pressure on the industry as a whole. The law is there to allow the authorities to act against those letting the vast majority of responsible retailers down, but there is confusion on whose responsibility it is to enforce.

The cogs are in place to resolve many of the problems, but the cogs need to work together to achieve this and currently they all have separate objectives. The fear is that without a voluntary and enforceable strategy that rewards good as well as punishing bad, more expensive and restrictive legislation drawn up by people who have a very one-sided opinions and objectives will drive many more responsible retailers out of business at the expense of those willing to cut corners.

At Beyond The Blue we run the portfolio of BIIAB training courses and qualifications including the Award In Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) and the National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH). Training staff is the foundation of any proactive employer working in this sector and we are ideally placed to help our clients achieve their goals.

Please visit our website please visit at www.btbl.co.uk