Best Bar None offers to help Newcastle City Council set up best-practice scheme

It comes after the council announced that it will be setting up the initiative following its plans to introduce a late-night levy in the city, which caused outrage in the trade.

Last week, the Publican’s Morning Advertiser reported that the council is offering a 30% discount on the levy to pubs and clubs that sign up.

'The real thing'​

Best Bar None national director Simon Jackson contacted the council to offer the support. “There is no point in having a ‘best-bar-none-style’ scheme, when you can have the real thing,” said Jackson, who previously ran a Business Improvement District company before joining Best Bar None in May.

“Our awards scheme and approach has a proven track record, operating in over 100 towns and cities across the country, and in big night-time economies such as Birmingham, Sheffield and Nottingham. The scheme has also been adopted in Canada.

“Late-night levies are not necessarily the way forward, as unlike Best Bar None, they do not engender partnership or drive standards or improvements.

“We would welcome the opportunity to work closely with Newcastle Council to help them reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder by building positive relationships between the licensed trade, police and local authorities, without the need for a late-night-levy.”