Brighton & Hove has been named as a national centre of excellence for managing drinking and licensed premises in city centres. The council, police and other local partners have together won government Beacon Status for managing the night time economy.
The honour was announced at a ceremony in Westminster last night (3 March). Council officers say success was based on a range of measures including better transport, providing alternatives to drink, working with young people and firm enforcement. City authorities scored well for various innovations to manage the impact of licensed premises and the effect they can have on public safety and law and order. Current city policies were developed after the 2003 Licensing Act, which became law in 2005. This extended the hours licensed premises could sell alcohol but also introduced new powers to control unwanted side-effects of the law.