Licensing Hours Extensions Bill – 2nd Reading 17/01/2025

Pubs and other licensed premises could soon be able to open for extended hours for significant national events following the successful latest stage of the Licensing Hours Extension Bill’s progress through Parliament.

Andrew Ranger MP for Wrexham spoke in the House of Commons about the benefits for hospitality, especially of course the 78 pubs in Wrexham, naming a few and highlighting their importance to the local economy. The ones mentioned were the Saith Seren, Acton Park, Cunliffe Arms, The Quarry Arms, all in Wrexham and The George and Dragon in Brymbo, The Golden Lion in Coedpoeth, The Red Lion in Marchwiel and the Buck in Bangor on Dee.

Andrew Ranger highlighted how pubs and hospitality venues are central to communities and that the benefit of this small change to existing legislation will mean that at short notice, such as Wales progressing in a major tournament whether it’s the Rugby World Cup or the Football Euros, then venues will be able to open their doors to customers at times of the day that suit the events. The important change being that they would be able to serve their full range of drinks.

The MP said “I was delighted to have the opportunity to talk about Wrexham and the great pubs we have. I’m proud to have been able to enact a Bill in Parliament as it’s a chance that few MPs get and therefore a real privilege.”

The Bill received support from across the House of Commons and will now progress to its Third Reading.

I beg to move, that the Bill be now read a second time.
I am delighted to have the opportunity to stand before the House to bring forward a Bill that makes an amendment to the Licensing Act 2003 that will support our vibrant hospitality sector and help our communities come together to celebrate momentous
moments in our national life. I am sure I can add a few more puns to our deliberations today. The Bill will do that by changing the procedure for licensing hours extensions in England and Wales, so that the measures are subject to the negative procedure rather
than the affirmative procedure, as is currently the case.
Before proceeding in more detail, I want to pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Mrs Lewell-Buck) who brought forward a similar Bill in the previous Parliament. It enjoyed wide support across the House, only for it to fall when Parliament
was dissolved for the general election. I am pleased to be carrying forward the work that she started. I would also like to thank everyone who supported the Bill, particularly those who have come to the House today and all those who attended my drop-in last
week, in collaboration with the British Beer and Pub Association and UKHospitality.
It is important to start talking about our pubs and hospitality industry, something I can claim to know a thing or two about having had a 30-year career in it before coming to this place. Pubs and other venues are so much more than just businesses. They are
often a focal point of our communities, from one generation to the next, and where we gather for life’s big and small moments. They are also fundamental to community cohesion. Two thirds of adults believe that our local pubs are vital to combatting loneliness and social isolation, according to a survey by YouGov in 2024.
It will come as a surprise to no one that I believe it is in Wrexham where the finest pubs and beers can be found. In no particular order, there are great pubs such as Saith Seren, the Acton Park, the Nags Head, the Red Lion in Marchwiel, the Crown in Llay, the
Quarry Arms, the Buck in Bangor on Dee, the Cunliffe Arms, the George and Dragon in Brymbo, the Golden Lion in Coedpoeth and the Kings Mill. I will stop there. I have named just a few of the 78 pubs that span my constituency. I will not comment on how
many of them I have personally visited, possibly more than once.

Hospitality is also vital to tourism in Wrexham. It contributes nearly £120 million to our local economy, and I know that that will be similarly true in other Members’ constituencies. Since the arrival of two well-known Hollywood actors in Wrexham, we have welcomed visitors from far afield, eager to see the home of Wrexham AFC at the world-famous Racecourse Ground and, of course, to be pulled a pint by landlord Wayne at the Turf—there is another one. Accommodating the recent influx of visitors would never have been possible without pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels stepping up to the plate. I know that that is the case across Britain, where dedicated staff work hard to deliver great service, food and drink to customers. I thank them for all they do, all year round.
Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003 provides the ability for the Home Secretary to make an order extending licensing hours on a blanket basis, thereby allowing all licensed premises to open for longer at moments of important celebration. Measures to extend hours provide the additional benefit of boosting the hospitality
sector. Blanket licensing hours extensions introduced by the Secretary of State mean that businesses do not have to apply for individual extensions, should they wish to stay open longer to celebrate a particular event. Under normal circumstances, venues have to apply for a temporary event notice, which costs £21 for an application and involves considerable administrative work. The Bill will have the twofold impact of saving businesses time and money and meaning that local licensing authorities avoid the strain of being required to process large numbers of individual applications, possibly at very late notice.

Licensing hours extensions in England and Wales have been implemented on occasions, including royal weddings and jubilees and major sporting events, such as when the England men’s football squad reached the finals of the Euros in 2020 and 2024. These events bring us together to share in these occasions, whether that is their joy, the perhaps inevitable trauma when England lose on penalties again, or the anticipated jubilation when Wales reach the world cup final or when Wrexham reach
the FA Cup Final. There is generally less of an urgent issue with royal events, for which more notice is generally available. The situation is much more complicated with sporting events, when there can be only a few days’ notice of a team reaching a semi final or final. Unfortunately, that has led to significant occasions where it has not been possible for the Government to extend licensing hours. There have been times when the Government have not been able to extend licensing hours for significant occasions, because the required secondary legislation is subject to the affirmative procedure, which means that both Houses of Parliament need to approve the measure following a debate. As such, if Parliament is in recess, it is simply not possible to introduce such measures. A recent instance of that was when the
Lionesses reached the final of the world cup in August 2023, during a parliamentary recess. That meant it was not possible for the Government to extend the hours for that momentous match. As a result, pubs and hospitality venues missed out on an historic
and unforgettable occasion. With the continued sporting success of our national teams on the world stage, my hope is that we will see more occasions in the near future where the need for such measures arises, including such events as the upcoming FIFA men’s world cup in 2026 in North America, the 2027 rugby world cup in Australia, the FIFA women’s world cup in 2027 in Brazil, and the International Cricket Council T20 world cup in 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. In the interests of parliamentary sportsmanship, we all want to see successes for our Scottish and Northern Irish teams, too.
I am sure that Members across the House will recognise the tough hand that the pubs and hospitality sector has been dealt over recent years. At the end of July 2024, the total number of licensed premises in Britain was just 99,000, some 45,000 of which were
pubs. The number of licensed premises has plummeted by 30% over the past 20 years, and we have lost 25% of pubs since 2003. We should use our role as parliamentarians in this place, and the opportunities that affords us, to speak on behalf of the industry,
and it is for that reason that I believe it is important that we are here today. Hospitality is crucial for not only local economies, but local opportunity. The sector supports more than 1 million jobs and provides great career opportunities and flexible working in all parts of the UK. I know from first-hand experience that somebody can go from washing pots to running the place.

I take this opportunity to address any concerns that Members may have about any reduction in parliamentary scrutiny. In the past, these orders have attracted no controversy or dissent, and I expect that to remain the case. Indeed, it is hard to imagine any hon. Members objecting to an extension of licensing hours for, say, a royal wedding. For that reason, I believe that the negative resolution procedure is entirely appropriate. Let me be clear that this Bill does not take away the right to seek a debate.
If any Members of the House or the other place objected to a certain extension, they would still have the ability to pray against it.
I also reassure the House that this amendment to the parliamentary process is the only change that this Bill seeks to make. It does not change the fundamental mechanics of how licensing hours extensions operate and are decided on. They will still be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Secretary of State and will be introduced only if the event in question is “an occasion of exceptional international, national, or local significance”. The word “exceptional” is important here. The Bill also does not alter the process for temporary event notices.

I believe that the Bill speaks for itself. It is a small amendment to the Licensing Act that will have a big effect by allowing for more efficient use of Parliament’s valuable time. It is a simple but significant measure, and I am grateful to all colleagues for their support today and in the lead-up to this debate. Let us raise a glass to our pubs and hospitality industry. I commend the Bill to the House.