Plymouth calls for a night-time economy manager to represent them against police

A licensee in Plymouth has called for the appointment of a night-time economy manager to act as a lobbyist and an independent advocate for the sector. He claims, without one, that there will be no partnership between the enforcement officers and the licensing trade in the future.

Tam Macpherson, boss of two city pubs, says that the "expedited review" of Maxine's bar on Union Street – the first such review in Plymouth and only the second in Devon and Cornwall – had caused great concern across the city's licensing trade.

Renewing his call for an evening night-time economy manager to act as both a lobbyist and an independent advocate for the lucrative industry, Mr Macpherson claimed the latest police action has made publicans feel "ostracised and under attack. "If this continues, there will be no partnership between the enforcement officers and the licensing trade in the future" he says.

"Other cities have a designated night-time economy manager who speaks on behalf of not just the licensing trade, but all the organisations involved in the night time economy. They work with the local authorities and the police on issues like street lighting, refuse, CCTV, hamburger and kebab stalls, taxi ranks, not just the pubs, clubs and casinos. They lobby on behalf of and understand the night-time economy as a whole, recognising it's value and worth to a city. It's been successfully implemented in other cities, but Plymouth is just avoiding it. There is no real independent voice of the hospitality trade in Plymouth.

Read the rest of this item from the Plymouth Herald  here