AAA White Paper The political economy of informal events, 2030 | Page 90

offensive language’). In the case of plays specifically for children,
there must be enough adult staff present. Counting against an event
organiser are knowledge of children gaining access unaccompanied,
or of a premises’ association with drugs; the fact that his or her
premises are used primarily for the sale and consumption of alcohol;
or evidence, such as ambulance or A&E data, that links the premises
with harms. Advertising events at times when children at nearby
schools and youth clubs are likely to be close to the premises is also
something to be considered.
The above summary of some of the main
points around the Objectives of the Licensing
BOX 5: TOWARD 2030 – SOME
Act does not at all pretend to be exhaustive.
KEY LICENSING ISSUES
But two things are clear from it.
First, for organisers of events, and
1. A tougher legal crackdown on
particularly of informal events, the
illegal working, particularly in relation
formal complexity of the law makes early
to immigration. This could present
partnership with the relevant authorities
problems both for employers and
essential. The vital thing with licences is
employees
to start out right: to get round a table with
2. A growth in the use, at events, of
the relevant authorities sooner, rather than
CCTV, and in particular its migration to
later. This matters also in relation to council-
cloud-based IT, with which the excuse
coordinated Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs)
‘the tape didn’t come out’ will be less
– indeed, if the application is for an event
and less acceptable
or festival, the local authority will often
3. After the Grenfell disaster of 2017,
want it referred to a SAG six or 12 months
a tougher attitude to fire safety and
before the event or festival takes place, and
access by the emergency services
perhaps for a longer period. With SAGs, last-
minute applications tend to be met not with
4. More complaints about noise, given
sympathetic support, but with especially
an ageing population for whom event
vigorous enforcement. By contrast, early
noise may make hearing other sounds
– conversation, for example – harder
applications build confidence among those
looking at them, and invite fewer added
5. Greater media and other concern
conditions, guarantees or time restrictions
about litter, plastics and waste
(for example, the licence to last for a three-
6. Public health objectives possibly
year term but be subject to annual review).
being embedded ‘more robustly in
Second, a glance just at this summary
alcohol policies’, or possibly being
of
licensing Objectives suggests that
given formal status as a fifth licensing
certain
issues will likely grow in terms of
Objective
significance and, perhaps, controversy. Box
7. More partisan debate about
5, on the left, is drawn from the summary,
the night-time economy, involving
but goes further than it.
planners, alcohol charities and alcohol
lobbyists
8. The use of Wi-Fi outside premises,
particularly by underage girls who
might be sexually exploited – online
and offline.
3. PERCEPTIONS AND REALITIES
AROUND EVENT RISKS AND BENEFITS
Informal events are growing. Their
regulation is complicated and involves
important sensitivities – sensitivities which
are likely to increase. So it’s important to
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