New session should bring new approach

The return of Parliament provides an opportunity for the friends of pubs and beer, both inside and outside the House, to adopt a fresh approach.

Firstly, as regards responsible drinking, it was depressing how both Gordon Brown and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling in their conference speeches rehashed the same old myths about the perils of 24-hour licensing and the need to get pubs to pay more for policing.

How on earth will we get a leading politician to say something good about pubs and indeed the contribution that British nightlife makes to our economy?

The answer I think is to "go local" and spend a bit less time trying to influence ministers and a bit more time working with local councillors. After all, "localism" is the current fashion among political think-tanks of both left and right.

Traditionally, industry manuals have demanded a national approach to regulation and there was a great suspicion about local councils taking over licensing from magistrates. In his speech the Prime Minister mused that "no one has yet cracked the whole problem of a youth drinking culture". Maybe so, but in towns and cities up and down the land, councils and the licensed trade working together in partnerships are having a pretty good go, as falling crime figures will testify.

Closer links between industry associations and local Government are also bearing fruit in the debate in Parliament regarding the imposition of burdensome codes of conduct. The Local Government Association has briefed MPs that "local authorities are already properly empowered to lead local action against alcohol disorder". In return, the British Beer & Pub Association said it won't object if local authorities are given the right to act against problem pubs without waiting for a third-party complaint.

Secondly, as regards tax, now that Axe the Tax is dead, an effort must be made to persuade all political parties to back CAMRA's campaign in the European Union to allow member states to levy lower duty on draught products.

Now that the Tories are committed to stopping the low-cost selling of alcohol in supermarkets there is a need to get them to spell out exactly what this means in practice.

In addition it is now perfectly legal to cut VAT on pub and restaurant food — what a job creation measure that would be for a manifesto.