Councillor Tony Williams, leader of the Conservative opposition group at Blackpool Council, criticised the fact that council staff had typed up police evidence backing the potential introduction of an EMRO, which would ban alcohol sales in Blackpool after 3am.
He said the consultation has been “compromised” and as far as he knew the move was “unprecedented” among local authorities.
“It is ridiculous,” he told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser. “The police don’t write reports for the council so why should the council write reports for the police. It puts the council in an invidious position when they are supposed to be impartial. It is clear the chief inspector supports an EMRO.”
However, Blackpool Council has insisted that the typing was only done to convert the police’s longhand to type for ease of reading and it did not affect councillors’ views on the potential ban.
Licensees in and around the town have supported the councillor’s statement and questioned the way Blackpool Council has carried out the consultation.
'Flabbergasted'
Dave Daly, manager of the Castle Hotel pub and north-west chairman of Licensees Unite, said: “Our two partners – the police and the council – have joined forces against the night-time economy and we are flabbergasted. We feel our back is against the wall. We thank Mr Williams for having picked up on this and for undertaking a full enquiry.”
Daly, who is openly against the introduction of an EMRO in the town, added that he was against the way the police had visited hotels in the town demanding responses to the potential restriction order and claimed the authority were only passing on comments which supported the ban.
“People can submit responses on the consultation website which has been widely advertised, instead of being pushed by the police. The police seem to just be collating responses which are for an EMRO, and leaving out the ones against. For the council to then write this up is just not right,” he continued.
Killing the town
Karl Myhill, manager of The Loft bar and night club near Blackpool and Toast bar and restaurant in the town, suggested that the police and council were seeking an “action plan” after the overwhelming response from licensees against the restriction.
“The response has been so massive, I don’t think the authorities were expecting such an opposition. Everyone has come together to rally against an EMRO, I think they were a little bit shocked and maybe looking for an action plan.
“I understand from a policing point of view late night venues can cause problems for authorities, but a blanket restriction across the board will kill the town. If businesses are forced to close earlier people will just go to other towns.”
John Creighton, operations manager at Walkabout Blackpool, said he agreed with Williams’ statements and requested that the consultation “be started again”.
“An EMRO would be a disaster for Blackpool,” he continued. “Even though Walkabout does not open beyond 3am and so in the short term the EMRO will not negatively affect us, we are strongly opposed to it as in the long run it will cripple the town and leave thousands out of work.”
Usual practice
A Blackpool Council spokesperson said: "As organisations who work closely in partnership, Blackpool Council and the police often provide each other with administrative support. It does not, in any way, affect or relate to the views of councillors which are, ultimately, the deciding factor in key decisions taken by the authority."
All those who have submitted formal responses to the EMRO proposal will be invited to attend a hearing before the Licensing Committee on 4 and 5 September 2013.
Manchester
Meanwhile, Manchester Council has confirmed that an EMRO is still being considered in the city’s Gay Village, despite recent reports claiming that council leaders would not move forward with plans to introduce the ban.
A Manchester City Council spokesperson said: “Police are looking at the possibility of introducing an EMRO and producing detailed evidence based on the levels of crime at specific times and locations. A decision will be made in the next few months on whether to proceed with a formal consultation."