Associations advise justices to look 'favourably' at hours extensions
Magistrates are said to be so angry at the Government's handling of New Year opening that they are aiming to approve as many one-off extensions as possible.
The Magistrates' Association (MA) and the Justices' Clerks' Society (JCS) have issued guidance to all their members urging them to automatically grant applications for extensions this New Year unless objections are raised by police or residents.
Licensees who apply for extensions, up to the full 36 hours seen at the millennium, will have their applications "looked on favourably" if there are no objections locally.
The move follows confirmation from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) last week that the deregulation order needed to relax hours had stalled and was unlikely to be passed before the beginning of December.
In a letter to all its members, the MA said: "In order to maintain a consistent approach the association, in conjunction with the JCS, is recommending that committees grant applications as requested provided that no objections from police, residents or other parties have been raised.
"Where applications are challenged the justices will deal with applications in the normal way, taking each case on its own merit."
A spokeswoman for the DCMS admitted that even if the deregulation order was passed, it was unlikely to be in place before the first week of December.
This would leave licensees with just two weeks to plan and sell tickets for New Year events.
Anne Norton, chairman of the MA, said she had been told that the earliest licensees could hope for news was December 10.
She said: "We are very disappointed that the Government was unable to get the deregulation order through. We were very positive about trying the 36 hours again as we had at the millennium.
"If licensees make applications now for longer hours than those in our Good Practice Guide - that is 12.30am - then we have advised our members to look on those applications favourably because of the mess we find ourselves in yet again."
She added: "Licensees should put in their applications and if they are having any trouble getting them through they should refer to the fact that the MA and the JCS have issued this advice."
She added that the organisations are also prepared to organise more hearings to cope with the likely influx of applications.
This is the first positive piece of news for licensees since ministers admitted earlier this month that they were unlikely to get the deregulation order through in time, for the second year running.
There is also anger within the trade that the Government has chosen to give priority to a 1am extension planned for the Queen's Golden Jubilee next year.
Kate Nicholls, spokeswoman for the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, said: "We have written to our members advising them to make applications as soon as possible.
"From a publican's point of view New Year remains the prize and there is some scepticism about the Government's decision to go for the Golden Jubilee."
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Ministers stall over New Year (18 October 2001)