BII: One in five Scottish licensed premises closed

One in five licensed premises in Scotland have failed to open since the new Licensing Laws were introduced on Tuesday, according to the BII.

Janet Hood, head of BII Scotland, said venues including pubs, hotels, shops and community centres that sell alcohol are among those that have been forced to close because they do not have the correct licences in place.

Under the new laws, both a premises licence and a personal licence are required. While some premises are waiting for licences to be issued by local authorities, many others have yet to lodge an application.

Hood said: "A lot has already been said about the bureaucratic nightmare that the introduction of the new licensing regime has been. But let's take a step back for a moment and look at the significance of this as part of a much bigger picture.

"Today we have 20 per cent fewer small businesses in Scotland than we did on Monday. That's 20 per cent fewer social hubs for communities. 20 per cent fewer amenities in those hard to reach towns and villages which are home to many members of our population and for which Scotland is so well-loved.

"In simple terms, we're killing the very communities on which our tourism industry and the wider economy of Scotland depends."

She added: "We recognise that irresponsible sales of alcohol and reckless drinking cause harm, however, we also recognise - as did the government at the start of this reform - that most licensees retail alcohol responsibly.

"The Scottish government should be trying to tackle the social problems which lead to alcohol abuse and not trying to make scapegoats out of licensees.

"We call on the Scottish government to use medical, social or criminal intervention to tackle those who abuse alcohol as this is what will achieve cultural change and a have real positive impact on the problems."