Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to review their decision not to allow local councils to set their own local alcohol licensing fees, as provided in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, before the general election.

The Government published its response to the consultation on locally-set fees on 26 February this year. Having carefully considered the concerns of the licensed trade and the evidence provided by local government, the Government has decided not to proceed with the implementation of locally-set fees at this time, but to instead invite the Local Government Association to provide better evidence of licensing authorities’ costs. There are no plans to review this decision before the General Election.