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Keir Starmer is fronting a fast-track bid to cut ‘red tape’ thought to be making it hard for pubs to host live music and food pop-ups. The UK prime minister said pubs are ‘the beating heart’ of communities in the UK, after the government launched a four-week ‘blitz’ survey of landlords, customers and neighbours. It is understood the exercise could lead to a bonfire of old licensing rules, amid fears some historic venues have shut over noise complaints or advertising concerns. ‘Pubs and bars are the beating heart of our communities,’ Starmer said, and added that the government was ‘backing them to thrive’. He continued: ‘This review is about cutting red tape, boosting footfall, and making it easier for venues to put on the kind of events that bring people together. ‘When our locals do well, our economy does too.’ Business & Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said: ‘This review will help us cut through the red tape that has held back our brilliant hospitality sector, giving them the freedom to flourish while keeping communities safe. ‘That is the balance we’re trying to strike. We’re determined to back small businesses and bring the buzz back to our high streets.’ The call for evidence follows a probe by the government’s licensing taskforce, which ended earlier this year. Among its recommendations was a proposal to remove the hard-copy local newspaper advertising requirement, when a manager wants to set up a premises or alter their licence. ‘This is a cost for a licensed business that serves no meaningful purpose other than to provide a revenue stream to companies operating local newspapers and should be removed,’ the taskforce agreed, and warned that readership had declined ‘significantly’ since the advertising requirement was brought in. The taskforce also recommended a permanent increase to the number of temporary event notices which landlords can apply for, raising the ceiling from 15 covering 21 days per year, to ‘ideally’ 25 covering 30 days, and simpler rules for trading in outdoor areas. The Conservatives said the answer to the crisis facing pubs and the night-time economy is not ‘yet another Whitehall call for evidence’. Andrew Griffith MP, shadow business & trade secretary, said: ‘This anti-fun, prohibitionist government needs to get on with implementing the recommendations from the licensing taskforce published back in June, not endlessly delaying whilst it’s literally ’last orders’ for many pubs and businesses in the hospitality sector. ‘The results of this review are now not likely to be out until the similarly delayed Budget. No wonder business confidence is at an all-time low.’ By Will Durrant, PA Political Staff Press Association: Finance source: PA Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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