Balance is key if trade is to flourish
By Gillian McKenzie
ANOTHER week, another dose of licensing board draft policy statements and the prospect of yet another piece of legislation – the fourth...
Board was right to scrap glass ban plan
HIGHLAND licensing board’s proposal to ban glass after 9pm in bars, restaurants, nightclubs and hotels across the region was certainly a controversial one.
When it...
Scotland’s trade stars shine bright
By Gillian McKenzie
PUB closures have been a hot topic for the mainstream media for some time now.
Everything from the smoking ban to cheaper alcohol...
Debate on indy impact is crucial
By Gillian McKenzie
NEXT year is billed as a ‘big one’ for Scotland’s pubs, restaurants and hotels.
But while the trade eyes the Commonwealth Games and...
You turn if you want to
SO the UK government has U-turned on minimum pricing, shelving proposals to introduce a 45p a unit price in England and Wales.
Crime prevention minister...
Proposals could bring greater consistency
By Gillian McKenzie
INCREASED bureaucracy and a lack of consistency have been two of the trade’s biggest bugbears since the 2005 Act was first drafted.
The...
Two-tier fears emerge again after retail case
FEARS of a ‘two-tier’ licensing system have been raised again after Tesco was given the go-ahead to increase the hours and shelf space within...
Tourism industry’s cup runneth over already
THE draw of major events and the resulting benefits for Scotland’s hospitality industry and licensed trade were underlined again last week with the news...
It’s good to talk
THE war of words that broke out last week between the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents and the convener of Glasgow licensing board served...
Minimum price debate rumbles on
SO minimum pricing has passed another hurdle.
A legal challenge to the Scottish Government’s plans to implement a 50p minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol...