Late-night Pub Openings Aren’t In The Right Spirit | Letters

The government’s scheme to widen licensing hours seems to beryllium a alternatively hopeless measurement to promote maturation (Pubs to enactment unfastened until early hours successful push for UK growth, 8 October). Will location beryllium capable customers for pubs to spend nan further staffing and moving costs of staying unfastened later?

Many pubs are already closing early connected immoderate evenings and possibly not opening connected others. If nan authorities really wants to give licensed premises a boost, it should find a measurement of reducing nan value of nan drinks they sell, but this would beryllium unpalatable erstwhile it’s looking for ways to raise taxes.

Pubs and clubs should beryllium an accessible assets for communities, wherever friends and families tin travel together. When pubs were thriving – galore years agone – nan value of a portion successful a pub was overmuch person to that paid successful a supermarket. Until that spread narrows, it is improbable that location will beryllium immoderate dream of slowing down nan alarming complaint of pub closures.
Clive Turner
Barking Tye, Suffolk

I wonderment really encouraging intoxicant depletion squares pinch nan NHS’s plans to trim nan wellness harms of intoxicant and nan government’s committedness to forestall nan incidence of intelligence wellness problems that consequence successful group being incapable to work. Alcohol misuse is intelligibly associated pinch a scope of intelligence wellness issues, including slump and anxiety, and is simply a important origin of death.

In 2023, we had nan highest recorded number of alcohol-specific deaths successful nan UK (10,473). The costs to nine of alcohol-related harm, including to nan NHS, societal attraction and nan criminal justness system, is an estimated £27.4bn each year. It is difficult to fathom why nan authorities would contemplate these immense quality and exchequer costs. But 1 should not underestimate nan powerfulness of nan purveyors of nan commercialized determinants of ill-health, including nan drinks industry.
Alan Walker
Emeritus professor of societal policy, University of Sheffield

Longer pub opening must mean that nan chancellor has decided that nan solution to economical difficulties is to drown our sorrows successful drink. Presumably, our alcohol‑fuddled brains will besides neglect to announcement nan preamble of ID cards and restrictions connected free speech.
John Hall
Bristol