Pubwatch Partners Minutes July 2010

Craig trading standards

• Here to talk about 1st responsible retail alcohol award looking at more accountable staff training will cost £75 4 day, course will make staff more aware of people who are intoxicated, violent and underage
• Recently visits rate under age sales below average. off licences were hitting 26% was reduced to 13% this year 9% extra levels of training improve levels
• Next 4 months national licences exams will be taking place not as detailed conditions licensing the objective is to get the accountability through to every member of staff decrease the 40%, will be in touch any training packs that you may already have would be helpful so please send across,
• they cross over with the police but the police will take the lead they will not lead events but will help police intoxicated tests last done few years ago

Police

• Meeting, concerns with venues they would like shots promotions to stop, evidence if found will be used to come down heavily, club scan are being pushed hard
• There will be meetings taking place to have a sit down go through the last couple of months
• assaults on and complaint about door staff has risen will be discussed last weekend

Flyering

• Flyers have gotten worse down the walk
• One venue being flyering outside other venues
• need to look at it before the council step in
• Was briefly discussed before and will bring back up in another members.
• Would there be a limit then
• flyering and pestering people are starting to become the same thing
• Turning into Ibiza type style area will have to result in plain clothed officers to many flyers plus they are going into other venues
• some cities have licences £200, £100 per person end in a complete ban if one venue flyers to much

SIA

• Sia changes new licence conflict management course existing may 2011 conflict management looking to change
• Use the Sia website to check the door staff database to see if they have done all the courses. meeting St Marys next Wednesday

• Things seem to calm down things are taking longer policing minister came down for the first time he enjoyed his visit
• World cup “not single issues related to world cup well done to venues
• San best bar none all assessments top 4 sent to Louise tester she will pass on 18th august 1st September £10 ticket same as before
• £15000 to increase lighting will be taken in august guildhall seminar, purpose discussed licences the economy will be open to everyone important for people to put there views across etc
• a platform to discuss and move forward still working on agenda maybe two work shops then switch over in afternoon.

Street Pastors

• >Ellie bigger teams out will trail to split the teams trailing Albert road July and august
• Safe space will run a day or two a week will run the building pct fund a building will run between 11pm-4am Friday Saturday. Pat had a lot of experience launch 27th august, will be working in partnership with night time economy opening get door staff to come down have a look
• 07809627770 Ellie street pastor

• Italian summer schools turning up 600-800 plus 18 year old this year
• Underage testing next couple of months trading standards

Next meeting Babylon 5th august

The June 2010 Pubwatch Meeting took place at Highlight in Portsmouth on Thursday 1st July.

Non-Members Minutes June 2010

 

Update from police

 

• Over the last couple of weeks there has been two serious incidents, one death and one almost death these are mid week offences

 

• During the investigation of this incidents all circumstances will be looked at
• Door polices
• How the drinks are served in the venues
• CCTV of the incidents
• Door staff

 

• Will now be looking at reviewing of licences down the walk
• A letter will be sent out to venues to explain what will be happening
• Police will have a talk with the venues to see what can be done to reduce the risk in the venues
• If the police can not work with venues then will have to have review
• Police and council will work with the venues but if there is no signs of venues looking to change then laws will start to be enforced
• When Wendy gets back off holiday she will start to talk to the venues individually
• Things which can be done to help are
• Installation of club scans
• Training of staff to make sure drinks are served responsible
• Make sure drinks offers are responsible and customers are not being forced to drink more than what they want
• Police intend to start being less tolerant and more vigilant on the streets
• Will try and be around venues at least 3 times a night
• Need to stop aggressive behaviour
• Incidents like this can not be stopped but measure can be put into place to reduce the chances of things repeating them selves
• Be aware of not the price of drinks, its who is being served to and how it is being served
• Problems are serving to people who are so drunk they can not stand
• Competition down the walk has become much harder, and because of this standards are dropping
• When bar staff are serving be aware of what will happen
• What is irresponsible, 2-4-1 on shots, £1 a shot quick in take of alcohol this are issues and the actual promotion them selves
• How it is being sold
• Have spoken to venues 3 months ago things were promised but nothing has changed happened

Industry groups are furious over new mandatory code's on-trade focus and harsh penalties.

Trade leaders have attacked the final details of the government’s mandatory code of practice, arguing it is “lop-sided” and “farcical”.

The code includes measures to crackdown on “irresponsible” promotions, but also a condition that pubs must offer free tap water, check ID for anyone who looks under 18, and offer a 125ml measure of wine and 25ml spirit measure.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said pubs were being unfairly targeted.

“Pubs are at the heart of responsible retailing and are being demonised because this is easy, in terms of legislation,” she said.

The group has “consistently supported legislation to crack down on irresponsible promotions in pubs and supermarkets”, she said. But Simmonds added: “With nearly 70 per cent of all alcohol now sold through supermarkets, the pub-centric measures announced today are lop-sided and unbalanced.

She also hit out at laws forcing pubs to stock smaller glass sizes. “Pubs should be able to offer other measures, without the compulsory purchase of hundreds of thousands of new glasses,” she said.

Under the code licensees could also face fines of up to £20,000 and six months in prison.

Mark Hastings, communications director at the BBPA, said: "To bang someone up for six months for inadvertently serving a 17 year-old is frankly ludicrous, particularly when violent thugs are getting away with cautions for assaulting licensees and bar-staff. "Day-in day out licensees and bar staff are supporting police and local communities working at the front line of enforcement. Treating hard working people like hardened criminals only brings the criminal justice system into disrepute."

Meanwhile, Paul Smith, executive director of late-night operator trade group Noctis, said a possible jail term for breaching parts of the code were “completely out of kilter” and “farcical”. “If we’d seen there was going to be jail terms we would have made a massive issue of that,” he said. Addressing the code’s heavy bias against the on-trade, Smith added: “It’s pretty disgusting really if you look at where the majority of alcohol is being sold, which is the off-trade.”

Source: The Publican

On 12 November 2009 the proposals to reclassify Lap Dancing Clubs became law. As yet, the legislation has not gone live, as it needs what is called a "Commencement Order" to make it active.

Current predictions indicate that the Commencement Order will be passed around April 2010 and once this happens, each Local Authority may then decide whether to adopt the provisions and require operators to obtain a separate licence.

On first sight, there were a couple of amendments incorporated within the Act, which operators need to be aware of:

• Premises will not now be described as "Sexual Encounter Venues". They will be known as "Sexual Entertainment Venues".
• If a council does not adopt the provisions, then after 12 months, they must undertake public consultation to seek the views of people living and working in their area as to whether they should or should not adopt the provisions.

I think the likelihood of the second amendment is that every council will adopt the provisions, as it will be cheaper to adopt the provisions than to enter into public consultation. I suggest that you contact your local licensing officer now to start a dialogue with them over the disadvantages of adopting the provisions.

Licensees will need to respond to the current Government Consultation surrounding the transitional arrangements by 14 December 2009. These are the arrangements that you will have to follow to apply for the separate licence. Here's a number of things to think about when considering your response:

• Do you think 12 months to obtain your licence is sufficient time?
• Do you think it is fair that new operators can apply for a licence, together with existing operators, in the first 6 months? Remember, if the council have set a quota then you could be competing for a limited number of licences with an operator who does not have an established business.
• Do you think existing operators should get preferential treatment over new operators in the first 6 months? If yes, for how long?
• For new operators, it seems unclear whether they still need to get their Premise Licence or Club Premise Certificate varied. What happens if there is an application for a new licence or variation of an existing licence pending? What happens if an Appeal is pending? Once the provisions are adopted by the council, does it mean that these applications just die so that it becomes pointless to proceed? In my opinion, a new operator would be sensible to obtain permission now so as to have the same rights as an existing operator.
• Do you agree with the classification of existing operator and new operator? Do you think an existing operator should be somebody already providing lap dancing entertainment? Or, would it be sufficient if the current licence permits this entertainment?
• Is it fair to require a new operator to wait for their Sexual Entertainment Licence to be granted before they can trade? Applications are made in the first 6 months but the new operator cannot trade until the licence is actually granted, which will be at the end of the 6 month transitional period.
• Is it fair that 'new operators' will be bound by the new licence and its conditions before the end of the transitional period, and of course, before existing operators are bound?

Source: Poppleston Allen Solicitors

It was the biggest night of the year for the area's entertainment industry yesterday as the winners of The Guide Awards were announced.
The annual ceremony saw local showbiz stars and industry insiders mixing with fresh talent and readers of The News, as 16 awards honoured the best of local entertainment.

Rising stars graced the stage at the Kings Theatre in Southsea, both to pick-up awards and perform during the action-packed prize-giving hosted by Wave 105's Steve Power.

Winners and runners-up awards were presented by representatives from businesses and institutions including Portsmouth City Council, Highbury College, Portsmouth Guildhall and Pubwatch.