The new Licensing Board Policy statements which have recently been released have brought some significant changes to Licensing Policy across Scotland. A welcomed and notable new policy point highlighted in both Glasgow and Edinburgh is the importance of ensuring that staff members are able to get home safely from work, particularly when licensed premises are open late in the evening and into the early hours of the morning.
The City of Glasgow Licensing Board’s Policy Statement, released at the end of 2023, states that the Licensing Board is conscious of “various concerns raised by workers and unions in relation to licence holders ensuring staff, who work later hours within licensed premises, get home safely after finishing a shift either late in the evening or early morning”. The Licensing Board has clearly stipulated that they believe that all licence holders should be giving reasonable consideration to the transport arrangements available to their staff for their commute home after work, especially at times when public transport options are more limited. Consequently, those licence holders who currently operate or are looking to apply to operate under later licensed hours should seek to demonstrate to the Licensing Board that they seriously consider the transport options available to their staff, or consider those arrangements that could be implemented to ensure that all members of staff are able to get home safely. The Glasgow Licensing Board stated that they are “greatly encouraged by the “safe home” initiatives adopted by some licence holders,” specifying that the expectation is that other licence holders will adopt a similar approach.
The City of Edinburgh Licensing Board has also demonstrated its support for this approach, stating that “there is rightly so a growing focus on active travel and get-me-home-safely initiatives”. The Policy Statement published by the City of Edinburgh Licensing Board noted specifically that “the Board encourages licence holders to ensure so far as possible, that there are arrangements in place for safe homeward travel for staff, particularly late at night (after 11pm)”.
If you currently operate or are seeking to operate under later licensed hours, then this new focus on safe travel arrangements for staff should be actively considered as the Licensing Boards increase support for the Get-Me-Home-Safely initiatives.
