Scotland - Glasgow to open until 1am?

Licensing in Scotland is controlled by the licensing Boards who set the local licensing policy, which includes prescribing the hours which can be applied for in their area. Glasgow currently has prescribed hours which for the majority of operators means a 12-midnight closure, which is earlier than many other towns and cities including Edinburgh.

Last week the SNP administration at Glasgow City Council made a motion to allow city centre pubs to stay open until 1am but the decision is not theirs to make and it has to be agreed and implemented by the Board. So, Susan Aitken, the leader of the council has sent a letter to the Board.

The letter states:

 “We share the view that city centre buildings which currently have a midnight end time could benefit from the option to stay open until 1am.

“An extra hour of trading could encourage clients to stay out for a short while, further contributing to the late-night economy.”

It also addresses the issue of long-term planning for such changes- “We are acutely aware of the late night pressures on public transport, but we reiterate the need to plan for the next five years and we firmly believe that the measures under development in the city council will improve the city’s transport offer during this time.

“Currently, there are compelling arguments that more staggered departure times from the city centre may not put the same pressure on transport availability.”

Other requests are measures included in the submission to the Licensing Board. The Council asked the Board to continue allowing nightclubs in the city centre to continue trading until 4am.

It also called on Board members to allow flexible working hours for children in family-oriented settings and in those places that utilize outdoor eating and drinking opportunities.

If adopted, this will not be a quick change of position as the policy for Glasgow will have to be amended and even with a fair wind, we will be looking at late 2023 before the ability to change will exist. However, this will constitute a significant relaxation to the current policy.