Licensees not prepared for DDA

Just over 70 per cent of licensees say they have made no adjustments to their premises to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), according to a poll on thePublican.com.

The legislation, which comes into force on October 1, puts the onus on service providers, including publicans, to make "reasonable adjustments" to their premises to cater for disabled people.

These may include improving toilet facilities for wheelchair users or larger print menus for the visually impaired.

The worrying figure paints a bleak picture for licensees as they could face possible prosecution for discrimination.

In The Publican Market Report a survey of 700 publicans one in five publicans say they have trained staff to help disabled people and only 16 per cent have invested in building alterations to meet the requirements of the act.

David Pott, licensee of the Beaver Inn in Ashford, Kent, is concerned about the new legislation.

"We are an old building and we are stuck. It worries me that a disabled person would complain about access. We are looking into have an audit."

Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations said: "It is frightening. Publicans need to make sure they have an audit to prove they have looked into this or they could face prosecution."

There's still time to vote!​