Post published on February 12, 2026.

In a survey of 51 local authorities, 49 primary care trusts and twenty police authorities, the LGA found that the government’s attempts to reduce alcohol-related disorder through the Licensing Act 2003 has failed dismally. rnrnOver three-quarters of the authorities believe that the number of alcohol-related incidents has risen or stayed the same, shattering the government’s claims of then-culture secretary Tessa Jowell that ‘the reason that we are moving to more flexible licensing hours is because of all the evidence that crime and disorder is at its peak at chucking-out time.’rnrnThe LGA survey suggests that nearly one in three primary care trusts has reported an increase in alcohol-related incidents. Half of police authorities report that the Act has merely resulted in the incidents occurring later in the night. rnrnIn addition, more than three quarters of health authorities have felt that they have had to spend more, largely owing to a rise in accident and emergency admissions, while council tax payers have paid £100 million to administer the new regulations. rnrn‘The new drink laws have made no impact whatsoever on reducing the alcohol-related violence that blights town centres and turns them into no-go areas on a Friday and Saturday night,’ Sir Simon Milton, chairman of the LGA, told The Times. rnrn‘The vast majority of local councils, police and hospitals have reported no change at all, with violent incidents generally just being shifted later into the evening. rnrn‘The government was always going to fall short on its promises to curb excessive drinking because new licensing laws alone were never going to be enough to change this endemic culture of alcohol and violence. The new system was burdened with exaggerated expectations.’rnrnA Home Office report this year suggested that there had been a 25 per cent rise in serious violent offences in the early hours of the morning. The report also showed that the café culture had never really materialised and that people were just drinking more. rnrnThat survey – of thirty police forces – showed that crimes between 3am and 6am were up by 22 per cent, with more than 10,000 extra offences being committed during those hours. rnrnLast month, the Daily Mail reported that three in ten vicious woundings occurred in or around pubs and clubs in 2006/7.rnrnA Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said: ‘This report needs to be seen in the context of other research. The government’s own research, published in March, showed that, overall, crime and alcohol consumption are down since the introduction of the Act. Serious violent crime at night is down five per cent and less serious wounding at night is down three per cent. rnrn‘The government has never said that the Licensing Act alone would tackle the deep-seated problems of alcohol-related crime and disorder.’rnrnDominic Grieve, the shadow Home Secretary, said: ‘This is more evidence of how the government’s rushed decision to unleash 24-hour drinking on our towns and communities has impacted negatively on local communities. rnrn‘Alcohol-fuelled disorder has either increased or been displaced with front-line services bearing more of the brunt. At the same time the council tax payer has been left to pick up the bill. rnrn‘This shows why they should have listened to our calls to pilot the scheme, assess its consequences and then apply it appropriately and at local discretion.’rnrnThe new LGA report will be available in the Institute library shortly. rn