Drink Talking: Alison Smith

Is our society really ready for flexible trading hours asks Alison Smith of Bar One Nine, Keynsham in Somerset.

As you will know, the new licensing law is underpinned by a number of licensing objectives that herald a new dawn in drinking. These objectives are the desired outcome, if you will, of the government's licensing reform.

And so we welcome this brand new set of regulations, purpose-built to address the public nuisance problems that the current licensing law fails to regulate.

The Act has various key measures and claims to deliver a mechanism to both combat crime and disorder and, with 24-hour licensing, to culturally enhance us - to make us more like our continental neighbours.

While the existing law leaves much to be desired I don't believe that the new Act will be the panacea to all our problems.

For example, even now licensees are prohibited from selling alcohol to a drunk person (or to a companion of a drunk person for their consumption).

Admittedly, making a judgement on the state of intoxication of an individual can be a difficult call to make. But the plethora of documentaries on alcohol-induced crime and disorder demonstrate quite clearly that many pubs and clubs are habitually breaking the law.

Who served these people their last drink and who will serve them even more as they queue up to gain entry to yet another venue?

In principle 24-hour licensing and the flexibility it will bring will be a good thing. But I don't believe that we are yet ready for it as a society.

While we have been able to take advantage of 24-hour supermarkets for a while, many retailers have withdrawn the service due to lack of use. If we're not shopping round-the-clock for essentials will we take the trouble to extend our leisure time? We're creatures of habit and changing our culture will take time. It seems the take-up of extended hours is going to be slow, and until the supply of the service is there demand is likely to be low - a bit of a catch 22.