Posts Tagged ‘Scotland’

  • Scottish Licensing Shakeup

    31.08.2009 / Category: News

    Tomorrow sees the introduction of a massive update to licensing laws in Scotland. The new measures aim to combat an ever-growing alcohol misuse issue which costs the NHS over 2.5 £billion per year in the UK.

    The shakeup is not without controversy however, with the implementation being blasted a shambles. Due to mass confusion over the overhaul thousands of licensed premises in Scotland will be effectively trading illegally from September 1st. Because of this, local councils and police have agreed an unofficial grace period of several months to allow venues to adapt to the new rules. The alternative would mean the majority of licensed premises in Scotland would have to be shut down.

    Main points of the new rules ;

    • Off-Trade sales are restricted to 10am – 10pm
    • Shops are only allowed to display alcohol in one area of the store
    • One member of staff in each venue must be personally licensed after completing training on the new legislation
    • Happy hours and ‘2 for 1’ drinks offers will be banned
    • Tap water must be provided by all venues free of charge on request
    • Police will have the power to close nuisance premises with immediate effect
    • Any member of the public can now object to a licence application for any venue anywhere in the UK

    The deadline for local councils to process applications for personal licences has already been extended to November 1st, but huge backlogs remain to be cleared and it is uncertain whether this deadline can be met.