Editor’s Viewpoint: Licensing Reform – A Toast Half-Empty?

By Peter Adams, Editor, CLH News.

The government’s announcement of a comprehensive review into licensing laws should be cause for celebration.

After all, any reform is better than none, and it’s abundantly clear that our sector has been shackled by archaic legislation badly in need of modernisation. The proposals to streamline the system, reduce bureaucratic burdens, and give venues greater flexibility are undoubtedly welcome.

But here’s the rub: change on one hand is utterly pointless without change on the other.
Plans to make it easier for pubs to open until the small hours sound progressive on paper, but they won’t offset the toxic combination currently strangling our industry—soaring energy costs, crippling staffing expenses, relentless food inflation, and a squeezed public increasingly choosing to stay at home.

Already, just days after the government’s announcement, operators are making their voices heard about this uncomfortable reality, see page 7 of our digital edition online (https://issuu.com/clhnews/docs/clh_digital_-_issue_285)

We have, in my humble opinion, a government that believes the harsher they act and the more taxes they raise, the more they’re fixing our current woes.

But to quote a well-known phrase: you cannot tax a nation into prosperity, nor can you borrow your way out of debt.

The harsh reality is that any change in licensing laws or extension of operating hours will make precious little difference if the public aren’t coming out to drink, eat, or book accommodation—and operators will be understandably reluctant to extend hours that will only increase their costs with no guarantee of custom.

Look across the Irish Sea for a moment. Ireland has the right idea. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe announced that the VAT rate for food and catering businesses would be reduced from 13.5% to 9% from 1 July 2026 as part of this year’s budget, yes short term pain but they fully expect long-term gain!

This is something we at CLH News and the wider hospitality sector have been advocating for years.

The government’s licensing reform announcement, welcome though it is, must be supported by meaningful financial measures.

Reducing VAT, as we’ve seen elsewhere, is the most positive way to encourage people to come out and enjoy some Great British Hospitality.

Without it, we’re simply rearranging the deckchairs on a sinking ship.

Let’s have the licensing reform by all means—but let’s also have the fiscal support that makes it worth implementing. Our industry deserves both hands clapping, not just one.
Cheers—but cautiously!

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I can always be contacted at edit@catererlicensee.com