News
New Policy Briefs on alcohol and entertainment licensing
The Policy Centre has published two new Policy Briefs – Alcohol Licensing and Entertainments Licensing - replacing a previous Brief which covered both issues.
The Brief on Alcohol licensing covers the publication on 23 December 2024 of a consultation document on proposed amendments to the licensing law. The main proposed changes are to replace the current Licensing Assembly with a dedicated Regulatory Authority, a move to three categories of licence - on-licence, off-licence and temporary licence, bringing alcohol policy under Government and States Assembly oversight and updating the policy on drinks promotion and minimum pricing.
The Brief on Entertainment licensing notes that responsibility for giving permission for public entertainments rests with the Bailiff. It has long been recognised that this is unsatisfactory. The Strategy for the Visitor Economy, published in December 2023, identified as a priority developing an event strategy and appropriate legislation. The timetable for revising the legal position envisages a new regime being introduced during 2027.
The Briefs are part of a series of 28, each of which is a succinct up-to-date summary of the current position in respect of a significant policy area such as economic trends, population, healthcare, external relations and education. The papers include links to relevant official policy documents and research.
