What can Britain tell us about pub closing times?

Mayor Mike McGinn has announced a Seattle Nightlife Initiative, which, among other things, would allow Seattle bars to stay open later and perhaps all night, reports Seattle Times staff reporter Emily Heffter.

Under current Washington state law, bars must stop serving alcohol at 2 a.m., and police say they are often overwhelmed by the flood of patrons who spill out into the street at closing time.

Proponents of the Mayor’s plan say that by staggering closing times it will lead to less disorder in the streets at night and will boost the city’s nightlife business.

What are the likely effects of such a rule change?

For some answers, we can look at the experience in England and Wales.

Hogarth's "Gin Lane" 1751

In 2003, the United Kingdom passed legislation reforming the laws governing pubs, night clubs and other entertainment sites.

(The law only affects England and Wales; Scotland now has a measure of independence and its own parliament.)

Among the provisions of the 2003 Licensing Act, which went into effect in 2005, were provisions that allowed flexible hours for sites serving alcohol that would allow some premises to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Under the old laws, British pubs and clubs had to stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. But this was thought to encourage binge drinking, as customers downed drinks before last call, and led to public disorder, when so many people poured into the streets after an evening drinking.

The U.K. has an agency that advises its National Health Service in England and Wales on best practices. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence or NICE provides guidelines on the use of new medicines and technology, on clinical practice and on public health initiatives to promote health and prevent disease.

NICE commissioned a group of experts at the University of Sheffield’s School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) to look at various initiatives that seek to prevent alcohol-related problems in adults and young people.

One of the strategies this group, ScHARR Public Health Collaborating Centre, looked at was the 2003 Licensing Act.

They found after examining 27 research studies looking at the effect of the Act on alcohol-related problems that:

• That levels of alcohol consumption and related harm appeared to have remained stable since the introduction of the licensing reform.

• There was no overall change in levels of alcohol-related crime and disorder, but, they added, the Law’s effect may have been masked by an increase in police enforcement.

• But there was a shift in alcohol-related crime and disorder and alcohol-related emergency room visits to the early hours of the morning.

Change in the pattern of alcohol-related activity may have considerable workload and resource implications for health professionals and police, the panel concluded.

“Further monitoring and research is required to determine the long-term health and social impacts of the Licensing Act,” it said.

To learn more:

• Read the full report: Interventions on Control of Alcohol Price, Promotion and Availability for Prevention of Alcohol Use Disorders in Adults and Young People
• Read Heffter’s Seattle Times article: Mayor McGinn proposes letting bars stay open later, or all night

Tags: Alcohol, Bars, Clubs

Category: Prevention, Safety, Substance Abuse