by John Harrington
Greene King has taken a swipe at the "lack of consistency" from Government and councils and the huge costs of licensing reform, as it announced that it has submitted the first batch of premises licence applications.
The applications have been submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council on behalf of 24 licensees within Pub Partners, Greene King's tenanted and leased division. This follows six months' work by the pubco, at a cost of £1.5m, to complete application forms on behalf of all 1,260 Pub Partners licensees.
Greene King Pub Partners managing director David Elliott said: "We believe that we are the first company to have all our applications ready for submission. We are committed to ensuring that our support is the best in the business and this level of assistance forms part of the overall support package we offer our licensees".
But Elliott added: "Unfortun-ately, the whole lengthy process has been dogged with setbacks, the most frustrating being Government delays in publishing the prescribed forms and fee scales.
"There has been a worrying lack of consistency from the start, with the issue being handed from one minister to the next.
"We are also concerned with the interpretation some local authorities are placing on the legislation and how this will affect the industry in the future when they are solely responsible for imposing fees.
"At the end of the day, licensing reform has been a costly exercise and licensees are now faced with the reality that the new legislation may not deliver increased turnover."
Referring to the legal challenges mounted against two councils for their licensing policies by three leading trade bodies, Elliott said: "A small number of local authorities have mis-interpreted the legislation and as a result, conditions for licensees have become unrealistic. We are very disappointed that, in these cases, the matter needs to be challenged in the courts".