Time at the bar! Pubs will no longer be allowed to sell takeaway pints as government winds down Covid-era licensing rules
- The temporary relaxation during the pandemic will end on September 30
- Pubs wishing to continue takeaway sales will have to apply to their local council
Pubs and restaurants will no longer be able to sell takeaway pints after the government announced it would wind down rules introduced during the Covid-era.
Rules which were temporarily relaxed to keep hospitality businesses afloat during the pandemic, will be reverted on September 30.
The changes were brought in to allow pubs to keep trading by selling drinks through windows while they were required to close their premises during lockdown, but have since continued to be used by businesses as an extra revenue scheme.
The decision, which will mean pubs will need to seek permission from their local authority to continue selling takeaway pints, has ‘disappointed’ the British Beer and Pub Association.
Its chief executive Emma McClarkin said that the government ought to be allowing premises to innovate rather than adding more red tape.
Pubs will no longer be allowed to sell pints to be taken off their premises from the end of September
Rules were relaxed during the pandemic to allow businesses to keep trading while they were unable to serve customers inside
As many as 12,800 pubs would opt to keep takeaway sales if permitted, government documents predict
Councils will be asked to treat applications for takeaway sales as a minor change to a licence, which would take less time and cost owners less, the Home Office has said.
Up to 12,800 pubs could keep selling pints on-the-go if they were granted permission, according to government documents.
Industry bosses had previously welcomed the decision last year to extend the Covid-era regime into 2023, saying it would help the sector recover.
A consultation of councils, retailers and neighbourhood groups indicated that a majority were in favour of going back to pre-pandemic rules, despite attracting just 174 repsonses.
But the Night Time Industries Association said the government had left businesses little time to get organised before the September cut-off.
Its chairperson Michael Kill told the BBC that he was ‘slightly bemused’ by the decision to led the Covid-era rules lapse, which he said had led to a more cafe style cosmopolitan culture.
The change will also affect some restaurants and hotels, who will lose their license to allow customers to take their pints off the premises.
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