Oral Answers to Questions

Lyn Brown Excerpts

Monday 25th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Lyn Brown (West Ham) (Lab)]

16. How many local authorities have imposed a late levy on licensed premises to date; and how much income has been raised for policing as a result.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (James Brokenshire)]

The late-night levy was introduced in October last year. Since then a number of councils have been actively considering how a levy could benefit their area. The first formal public consultation to introduce a levy began in Newcastle last month.

[Lyn Brown]

I take that answer as being “absolutely none”. The Home Office told us that 94 of the 100 licensing authorities would impose the late-night levy, which would raise £10 million for police forces in its first year. Six months in, not a single pound has been raised. Is this not another illustration of the Government’s collapsing alcohol policy, and where is the Minister going to get the money from to police our night-time economy?

[James Brokenshire]

I find it quite interesting that the hon. Lady makes her point in the way she does, given that the last Labour Government promised that we would have a café culture, but instead we had 1 million violent crimes linked to alcohol. A number of councils are taking forward this policy, and we see this as a local issue: it should be for councils, with their police and crime commissioners, to decide if it works for them. That is precisely what we are doing, and I am surprised that the hon. Lady does not support local action to deal with the problems her constituents would like to see addressed.