Municipal minimum pricing

I was interested to read in the Courier that Councillor Rod Wallace, chairman of Dundee’s licensing board, has asked officials to investigate the possibility of the council introducing minimum pricing for alcohol sold in the city, following reports that other local authorities were considering implementing such a policy.

But it’s only half a dozen years since Dundee City Council and a handful of other Scottish local authorities abandoned such measures after a disgruntled licensee mounted a legal challenge. The Court of Session ruled that the legislation “did not give licensing boards the power to regulate, either directly or indirectly, the minimum prices below which alcohol may not be sold”.

The more recent Licensing Act is similarly lacking in such powers, but the Courier's report suggests that the Scottish Parliament could amend the legislation to allow councils to make by-laws with regard to minimum pricing.

But if MSPs won’t enact legislation to introduce the policy on a national basis, what is there to suggest they would consider provisions allowing councils to do this locally?

Also, as a Tory councillor surely Mr Wallace should be aware that his party has consistently questioned the legality of minimum pricing under EU law.

As for his comments linking excessive alcohol consumption to anti-social behaviour, it should be recalled that it’s not that long since licensing councillors effectively introduced all-night drinking in Dundee by the back door, in the form of a casino adjacent to the city’s main nightclubs.

An attempt by a nearby nightclub to extend its hours to match this due to a consequent loss of trade was rejected after Tayside Police objected because of the problems that would be caused, so why give the casino an extended licence in the first place?

Perhaps councillors should get their own house in order rather than effectively trying to blame other factors.

(A version of the above was sent to the Courier as a letter.)