Government plans for secret alcohol licensing notices are an attack on the public's right to know

TODAY The Gazette, Newcastle Chronicle and Journal join forces with other local newspapers across the country to inform readers about worrying new Government plans that affect the public's ability to know about important changes in the communities where they live.

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Ministers have launched a consultation on licensing reform in England and Wales which includes a proposal to scrap laws requiring alcohol licensing notices to be advertised in printed local newspapers.

What this would mean, if enacted, is that plans to open a new pub or nightclub, or for an existing venue to change its opening hours, would no longer be publicised within local communities.

There’s no guarantee, if this went ahead, that someone would find out a pub on their street wanted to extend its opening until the early hours of the morning until it actually happened.

Such a move would shroud our local communities across the North East in secrecy, removing the ability for the public easily to know about, understand, question and challenge licensing proposals affecting their daily lives, whether that’s in terms of house prices, noise, community safety or the local economy.

Don’t get us wrong: it is very welcome that the Government is considering ways to support the hospitality industry, which has suffered body blow after blow in a five-year period that’s taken in a global pandemic and a rise in the employer's National Insurance costs, to name just two factors that have directly impacted their revenue.

But dressing up the removal of licensing application notices from local newspapers as a necessary cut to bureaucratic red tape completely ignores the fact that public notices are a vital part of the infrastructure of our country and of keeping communities fairly informed.

Like pubs, bars and restaurants, local media has worked very hard to be resilient and adaptable in the face of economic challenges and changing technology.