Fewer sting ops for pubs that self-test
Pubs that carry out their own underage test-purchase operations are set to be subjected to fewer sting operations, the Publican's Morning Advertiser can reveal.
The move is part of a wider plan from the Local Better Regulation Office (LBRO) to simplify the regulations around age-restricted products, such as alcohol, and provide a consistent ap-proach to test purchasing.
A public consultation on a code of practice for test-purchase operations is set to be launched in June 2011, which will simplify the 20 underage sales regulations, provide better guidance to licensees and encourage businesses to use local authority support, following a report from retailers earlier in the year.
Pub operators will also be able to team up with a single local authority to get robust and reliable advice on test-purchase operations.
Under the Primary Authority scheme, operators would be able to rely on one single authority for advice and guidance on inspections.
The news will be welcomed by the trade. Only a few weeks ago JD Wetherspoon spendt about £50,000 on legal and other fees, preparing to defend itself at an aborted licence review for one of its pubs — the Old Market Hall in Mexborough, South Yorkshire failed three underage sting operations.
Company chairman Tim Martin slated the use of sting operations at the pub as "entrapment" and pointed out that it caused "outrage" in the local area.
The BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) has been working closely with the LBRO to help form the simplification plan.
"The idea is to get a slightly more intelligent way of testing in," said chief executive Neil Robertson.
"The Government is as frustrated as we are on local heavy-handed inconsistencies. You only issue guidance if you are worried. This is a good step."
Robust self-testing
Robertson said the BII could help venues develop a robust self-testing procedure in much the same way it has helped to police the pubcos' codes of practice.
"It could be a more risk-based approach from authorities, so if you have a robust policy in place and carry out self-testing you may be able to say to authorities 'you don't need to come to us for three years'. You would get credit from local authorities for carrying out your own assessments."
He stressed that schemes like Best Bar None (BBN) already carry out tests on responsible retailing. "The whole thrust of the BII and BBN is to ask questions of yourself." Robertson added: "This is a good piece of damage limitation."
Charlie Mowat, director at independent test-purchasing company Serve Legal, said self-regulation already works well in the gambling industry. "Results are better be-cause where a business spends money, it wants a return on investment. Simple economics means the pass rate would rise quicker."
