Glasgow Licensing Board has recommended that the government allow all premises that serve food to remain open - to support the city’s hospitality sector and help tackle Covid-19.
In a letter to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Glasgow Licensing Board expressed its recognition of the challenges facing the government during the on-going coronavirus pandemic.
But based on feedback from the licensed on-sales trade as well as the deliberations of the board, the letter also set out a series of possible measures intended to strike the appropriate balance between protecting public health and preserving the viability of the city’s licensed trade.
Recommendations included: a reconsideration of the definition of ‘café’ within the current regulations and allowing all licensed premises that serve food to remain open, even if alcohol can’t be served.
It also suggested introducing phased closing times for different types of licensed premises should a requirement for a curfew remain in place once the current restrictions are lifted. This includes a proposal for a ‘last entry/booking time’ system to help manage dispersal from premises.
The board believes that the liquor licensing system acts as an additional, powerful lever to ensure that premises comply with the controls created by the coronavirus regulations.
Protecting the licensed trade will therefore support the fight against Covid-19 in the longer term.
The letter also expresses concerns about:
- The use of unlicensed restaurants, which are allowed under the coronavirus regulations but are beyond the scope of the licensing system.
- Increased footfall in the premises that remain open during the current restrictions.
- A growth of unregulated drinking in homes amid the closure of pubs, clubs and restaurants, where the consumption of alcohol is managed and Covid-19 controls are in place.
- Customers leaving premises at the same time as a consequence of the 10pm curfew and the impact this had on other services such as taxis, buses and food outlets.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland’s hospitality industry has faced unimaginable challenges this year and we have worked hard to provide critical support to the industry.
"No-one wants the restrictions in place a moment longer than needed and they are kept under review.
"We will consider all the feedback we have received and will be discussing the proposed protections in the five level framework outlined today (Friday) by the First Minister with the hospitality sector ahead of it being debated on Tuesday.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel