Hard work will pay off as licensing law changes

Published on Thursday 10 September 2009 09:23

Months of preparation ensure city is ready for new rules, says Marjorie Thomas

THE licensing board in Edinburgh and all the officers involved have been working tirelessly to implement the 2005 Licensing Scotland Act.

This is a mammoth task, involving police, licensed standards officers and building standards officers, and particularly staff in the council's licensing section. Every licensed premises in Edinburgh has had to produce an operating plan and a layout plan to comply with the new law.

This has involved visiting premises, quite often for the first time in decades and occasionally finding safety issues which have to be rectified. I am pleased to say the vast majority of premises came through with flying colours, but this has been a very worthwhile, if time consuming task.

Other issues have included the suitability of premises for children and the opening hours of premises. Sports clubs now come under the same licence as all other licensed premises and the process has been particularly daunting for them as they are mainly run by volunteers.

There have been a few hiccups along the way but I am confident that in Edinburgh, where we have all the documentation required, all premises' licences have been issued. Personal licences have been given an extension until November to be processed.

Edinburgh is an international capital city. It has to be a city which tourists and the business community want to visit and do business in. The prosperity of the city and indeed the whole country depends on it. The licensing board is a balancing act between granting licences to allow businesses to flourish, and at the same time respecting the needs of the community.

As far as irresponsible promotions are concerned the board is taking advice from our licensed standards officers, and the police, who are now gathering information on the range of offers available. They will respond in a considered and proportionate manner.

The new act will take some time to bed in, however, it is the law and we would expect everyone to respect this.

Marjorie Thomas is convener of the Edinburgh licensing board