A Home Office Consultation

If local communities are concerned about premises that are open into the early hours of the morning and causing problems, then they should be able to respond flexibly, says the Home Office.

The majority (64%) of all violence occurs in the evening or at night and one-fifth of all violent incidents take place in or around a pub or club. The late night levy and the extension of Early Morning Restriction Orders ('EMROs') will enable local authorities to achieve this. By extending EMROs so that they can be applied from midnight, local authorities will have an additional tool to address problem areas in the night time economy.

Where there is a vibrant late night economy, with premises remaining open into the early hours, then the local authority should have the flexibility to charge for a contribution towards any additional policing that this generates. Tax payers should not simply be left to pick up this cost. People who enjoy a night out often visit a variety of premises and it is appropriate that the costs are shared between these businesses.

This consultation is about two measures in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act') that will be implemented through regulations: early morning restriction orders ('EMROs') and the late night levy ('the levy').

This consultation seeks views on certain aspects of EMROs and the late night levy, including the process of adopting an EMRO and/or the levy; categories of business which will be exempt from any EMRO; categories of business which individual licensing authorities may choose to exempt from, or afford a reduction in relation to, the late night levy; and the kinds of services a licensing authority may fund with the 30 per cent of net levy receipts it may retain from the net levy revenue.

The consultation closes on 10 April 2012.

How to respond:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/consultations/late-night-drinking/