Change must come, trade tells the Assembly
Hospitality Ulster chief, Colin Neill, this month launched a campaign designed to increase pressure on the NI Assembly for reform of Northern Ireland’s out-dated licensing legislation.
The new drive is part of a concerted effort by Hospitality Ulster to persuade MLAs here that the current laws are no longer fit for purpose.
Speaking to this magazine in the weeks before Christmas, Colin Neill had served notice that the trade was losing patience with the Assembly’s pedestrian progress on reform. He told LCN:
“Until now, we have been very accommodating in all our conversations with government, but now we are calling them out and we are saying that this is not enough, now we need to see action.”
Launching the new modernisation campaign earlier this month, Mr. Neill pointed out that the laws which currently regulate the industry are, in some cases, as much as 100-years-old and his members, he added, were getting increasingly angry over the slow pace of change:
“A real opportunity now exists to drive tourism growth and develop the visitor experience that is often celebrated by our elected representatives,” said Hospitality Ulster in a statement this month. “What they fail to mention when making big speeches about how great we are here in Northern Ireland – and the benefits the likes of the Year of Food and Drink will bring – is the fact that they are not dealing with the legislation that will unlock further growth.”
The statement went on to say that the Year of Food and Drink had been a “turning point” for the industry in that it had highlighted how the Assembly had “ignored the sector and failed to do anything about the antiquated liquor licensing laws”.
Speaking at the same time, Colin Neill conceded that there would not be enough time before elections for the present Assembly to effect any change, but he warned that once the new body had been returned to Stormont, reform of licensing legislation had to be “a top priority”.
“We are fighting against a downturn in domestic tourism and a struggling economy mixed with issues relating to the likes of VAT rates and the National Living Wage,” he added. “We simply can’t sustain this ongoing anti-business environment. We are an industry that is a significant driver of the Northern Ireland economy and pregnant with opportunity as we grow the offer to consumers and tourists. The outmoded current legislation is simply holding us back.”
Mr. Neill is asking everyone to go to www.hospitalityulster.org and sign the Petition of Concern there. Also, he is urging people to write to their local MLAs to call for urgent change.
Our picture shows (from left), Hospitality Ulster chair, Olga Walls; chief executive, Colin Neill and past chair, Mark Stewart at the launch of the campaign to force the NI Assembly to modernise outdated liquor licensing laws here.
