Oldham cleans up its act

Controversy submerged Oldham last year when the local council reviewed the licence of every single pub, bar and nightclub in the town centre as part of a major crackdown.

It culminated in a whole episode of the BBC's Panorama being devoted to lurid tales from the town's notorious Yorkshire Street, which reported a 200 per cent rise in attacks at the start of 2009.

Among the controversial measures threatened were post office-style queues for drinkers, a minimum price - and only allowing pub customers to buy two drinks at a time.

The furore cemented the public's perception of the Lancashire town as one of the country's most dangerous night spots.

But more than a year on, licensees, police and council representatives claim their efforts have paid off. Oldham Council reported a 27 per fall in crime between April and December 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.

And now violence in the centre has again dropped by 22 per cent from April 2010 to mid-November, according to figures released by Greater Manchester Police last week. What's more, Oldham will become the 100th town to join the Best Bar None (BBN) on Wednesday (December 1).

So was it the hard-nosed approach of the council's crackdown that give the town centre the wake-up call it needed?

Change in approach

Lee LeClerq, the British Beer & Pub Association's representative in the North, doesn't think so.

He says the turning point for the town was the authorities' change in approach. "What they were doing before was not the way forward - they were imposing powers that they don't really have, and it fell by the wayside.

"We are very pleased they've introduced a BBN scheme and have a very active Pubwatch. It's what they should have done at the start," he argues.

LeClerq and Paul Smith, executive director of late-night trade body Noctis, both actively campaigned against the blanket licensing reviews. Smith described the reviews as a "confrontational blanket approach".

But he is positive about the culture change. Although he admits it's early days, he says: "There's no doubt that the BBN scheme, as well as the local Pubwatch, have had and will have a positive impact on the town."

After the council dealt with the on-trade, it also threatened similar action against the off-trade. But this was quietly forgotten about.

John Garforth, Oldham Council's principal licensing officer, admits the crackdown "certainly didn't make me any friends".

"I can't say it was popular, but it made licensees sit up a little more and think about finding solutions," he adds.

Garforth contends that the approach helped change the culture among venues in the town centre. The town's bars and nightclubs came to an agreement that price promotions should be stopped. Now the police hold briefing sessions with licensees every Monday to discuss the weekend and share information about any incidents.

Many of the town's pubs operate a radio network to keep others informed of any "dodgy characters heading up their way", says Garforth. The system is now used by over two thirds of the centre's pubs.

Garforth said a cap on the number of licences issued within the town centre could be on the cards, with the licensing objectives currently being reviewed.

And with the drop in violent crime this year, he is cautiously optimistic. "I want to see Oldham back on the map - we don't want a repeat of where we were," he says. "We've turned the corner, but we've still got quite a long road to go down."

"It has been quiet compared to last year"

Caroline Davanzo is chair of Oldham Pubwatch and manager of JD Wetherspoon pub the Squire Knot, at the heart of the infamous Yorkshire Street.

"The perception of the area is quite bad from the customers' point of view," she says.

But she, like the rest of the Oldham publicans threatened with reviews of their licences, never saw the post office-style queues become reality. However, the drop in crime has not gone unnoticed in Yorkshire Street.

"It has been quiet for the last few months, especially when compared with this time last year," says Caroline.

She is looking forward to the launch of the BBN scheme. "I hope it will help to publicise Oldham better," she adds.