Licensing Act 2003

I want the Act to be fair to all pubs, clubs, voluntary organisations, village halls and sports clubs throughout the country, although some are now faced with possible closure as a result of the Government’s actions. The Under-Secretary tells us that the new system is not bureaucratic at all. He tells us that filling in the new forms is simply a matter of ticking a few boxes. He said:"““It’s much simpler than filling in a tax form””." Well, I do not know what sort of tax form he fills in. I took the opportunity to download an application form from the Department’s website. It is indeed just a matter of a few boxes—97 of them, in fact. Those are just the boxes to be ticked, because another 508 boxes require further information. More than 600 boxes must be completed, yet the Under-Secretary says that the form is simpler than the two pages of application that people had to complete in the past.