Licensee tries again in bid to tackle supermarkets

A Scottish licensee is having a second crack at trying to prove supermarkets in his area fall foul of licensing laws over their deep discounting of alcohol.

Jeff Ellis, of the Bear Tavern, in Fife, has re-submitted an application to the local council seeking licence reviews of his local Tesco and Morrisons.

A previous bid failed narrowly, but after gaining support for his efforts among the industry he is trying again.

He argues the "integrity" of the Licensing Act is being threatened by supermarkets that continue to sell alcohol at irresponsibly low prices - and the regime is a "meaningless expense" if the off-trade is not included.

The Scottish Licensing Act has an extra objective to the regime south of the border, which is the "prevention and improvement of public health".

Ellis says the off-trade, which he claims accounts for two-thirds of alcohol sales in Fife, should be subject to the same restrictions as pubs.

In a letter to Fife Licensing Board, Ellis states: "It is a source of considerable disquiet that after this investment of time, effort and expenditure, and at a time when the on-trade has never been better equipped to manage the sale and consumption of alcohol, those licensees responsible for the bulk of alcohol sales, and by extension the bulk of the problems associated with its continued misuse are allowed to ignore their true responsibilities."

Ellis told The Publican​ he had received the backing of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association and Alcohol Focus Scotland - and expects the council to set a provisional date for a licensing hearing.

"There's an awful lot of support for this," he said.