Yesterday the Government endorsed the Alliance's call for community sports clubs to be exempt from a proposed levy on alcohol retailers.
Plans to enable local authorities to implement a 'Late Night Levy' are a key part of the Home Office’s strategy to tackle the problems associated with late night drinking. The levy will be payable by alcohol retailers as a contribution towards the costs of policing alcohol-related disorder, but the Government has accepted the Alliance's argument that it would be unfair to include Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) in these plans.
The Alliance has long argued that community clubs which serve alcohol should not be treated in the same way as profit-making pubs, clubs and bars. In Red Card to Red Tape we highlighted the adverse effects of the alcohol licensing regime in the context of an increasingly difficult financial environment. For many clubs the revenue from a bar is a vital income stream which would be threatened by the imposition of a new levy.
The Government outlined their intention to exempt CASCs (along with other categories such as country pubs, theatres and other community premises) in their latest consultation, entitled Dealing with the Problems of Late Night Drinking. However, while this is a very positive signal, it remains only an intention at this stage. Further support will be required to ensure the Government follows through on its proposal.
Therefore if you would like to voice your support for the exemption for CASCs from the levy, you can reply to the consultation on the Home Office's website.
We will publish more detailed advice about how to respond on our consultation tracker shortly.
