FORMER alcohol and tobacco policy chief Mary Cuthbert OBE is to chair the first meeting of Scotland’s new National Licensing Forum later this month.
As reported by SLTN, the forum, which will provide a platform for stakeholders to feed into alcohol policy, is being established as a work stream of the Scottish Government Alcohol Industry Partnership.
Stakeholders are currently being invited to join, with the on-trade expected to be represented by the SLTA and SBPA, and the off-trade by the Scottish Grocers’ Federation and Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC). Also likely to join are producer bodies the Scotch Whisky Association and Wine & Spirt Trade Association, representatives of the health sector, the police, local authorities and licensing standards officers.
David Martin of the SRC, which is providing joint secretariat for the forum with the Scottish Government, told SLTN the first meeting (date to be confirmed) would see stakeholders establish the forum’s remit, confirm membership and appoint a permanent chair; Cuthbert, a key architect of Scotland’s minimum pricing Act, could continue.
