‘We Want to be More European’: The 2003 Licensing Act and Britain's Night-Time Economy

Tierney, John L.

doi:10.1017/s1474746406003162

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The salience of this becomes more apparent when returning to the observations made at the outset concerning the use of 'spatial metaphors' to rhetorically contrast British antisocial drinking with the 'civilized' social drinking of 'continental' Europe (Tierney, 2006;Järvinen and Room, 2007;Jayne et al, 2008). As Pratt (2011) observes in relation to law and order framing narratives such as Tony Blaire's invocation of 'yob culture' as societal breakdown, and more specifically as Plant and Plant (2009) explore in the pitch and tone of tabloid media reporting on 'binge drinking', the act of positioning the perceived behaviour of some individuals as uncivilized and morally suspect is readily inflated to the level of societal breakdown and decline.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Did you ever hear of police being called to a beer festival?’ Discourses of merriment, moderation and ‘civilized’ drinking amongst real ale enthusiasts

Thurnell‐Read

2016

The Sociological Review

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While the real and perceived excesses of 'binge drinking' have received considerable attention in policy, media and academic debates, the concept of 'sensible drinking' is poorly defined and has rarely been subject to empirical analysis. Using qualitative research, this article explores the drinking discourses of ale enthusiasts as a means of highlighting how understandings of sensible drinking draw on notions of taste, sociability and self-control. Drawing on Elias's concept of the 'civilizing process', the article analyses how these narratives highlight self-control and social regulation as central features of acceptable drinking practices. Emerging from these accounts is a rejection of elements of the night-time economy and the unruly and hedonistic 'determined drunkenness' often associated with it.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Did you ever hear of police being called to a beer festival?’ Discourses of merriment, moderation and ‘civilized’ drinking amongst real ale enthusiasts

Thurnell‐Read

2016

The Sociological Review

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“…While the ostensibly civic virtues of nightlife cultures have strongly influenced the legitimacy of night-time economies, inevitably it is economic merit that constitutes the pivotal attraction for governments seeking to develop new urban landscapes of consumption (Tierney 2006). Yet, the commercial value of nightlife is often driven by a mixture of licit and illicit opportunities, and is commonly associated with public intoxication (Measham and Brain 2005;Hayward and Hobbs 2007).…”

Section: The Linear Governance Of Urban Nightlifementioning

confidence: 99%

Tender for the night: After-dark cultural complexities in the night-time economy

Rowe

Bavinton

2011

Continuum

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The concept of the night-time economy emerged in Britain in the early 1990s in the context of strategies to counter de-industrialization and inner-urban decline. Despite registering a shift towards more fluid, fragmented and diversified structures and rhythms of work, leisure and urban space, a framework that acknowledges cultural complexity has not, in practice, characterized night-time economy policy. After-dark cultural complexity has been obscured, instead, by a discursive concentration on those night-time economy leisure practices entangled with rapid, high-level consumption of alcohol, especially among young people. This reductionist discourse -oscillating between stimulating and controlling leisure cultures -has restricted policy development within a complex governance environment composed of many (in)formal organizations and levels of government. This article addresses the confusing, contradictory influence of a polarized night-time economy policy agenda and exposes the contrasting multilayered complexities of the diverse cultural practices of urban nightlife. By engaging with cultural complexity as integral to the city after dark, new conceptual trajectories are proposed that can point the way towards a more effective framework for understanding the lived experience of night-time culture.

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“…Its expansion in the 1990s was explicitly encouraged by licensing and planning policies (ODPM, 2004) and the NTE makes a significant contribution to the economy (Tierney, 2006;Winslow and Hall, 2006). Government strategy has prioritized the development of tourist, retail and leisure activities to revitalize city centre locations beyond traditional office hours and towards the '24 hour city' concept (Hayward and Hobbs, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The 2003 Licensing Act's impact on crime and disorder

Hough

Hunter

2008

Criminology & Criminal Justice

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The Licensing Act 2003, coming into force in November 2005 in England and Wales, abolished set licensing hours for pubs and clubs. The aim was to liberalize a rigid system while reducing the problems of drinking and disorder associated with a standard closing time. This article summarizes the results of an evaluation funded by the Home Office. Despite widespread concern that the legislation would lead to '24-hour drinking' and an increase in associated problems, the experience of the first year shows very little change. The scale of change in licensing hours was variable but modest: while the majority of pubs extended their hours, most of these extensions were short. Thus the average national increase in opening hours was small. Alcohol consumption showed a slight fall. There was no obvious impact on violent crime and disorder, according to a range of measures, including crime statistics, victim surveys and medical statistics. These results are not particularly consistent with findings in other jurisdictions which have relaxed controls over opening hours of pubs and clubs.

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‘We Want to be More European’: The 2003 Licensing Act and Britain's Night-Time Economy

Cited by 13 publications

References 9 publications

‘Did you ever hear of police being called to a beer festival?’ Discourses of merriment, moderation and ‘civilized’ drinking amongst real ale enthusiasts

‘Did you ever hear of police being called to a beer festival?’ Discourses of merriment, moderation and ‘civilized’ drinking amongst real ale enthusiasts

Tender for the night: After-dark cultural complexities in the night-time economy

The 2003 Licensing Act's impact on crime and disorder

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