A RESTAURATEUR has expressed “deep disappointment” at plans to amend the Island’s long-awaited new Alcohol Licensing Law – a move she says “risks completely derailing years of work and progress”.
In a submission to the panel of politicians responsible for reviewing the legislation, Salty Dog owner Natalie Parkin said the amendment could cause the entire reform package to collapse before the next election – leaving Jersey stuck with legislation over half-a-century old.
“If that happens,” she wrote, “Jersey will remain bound to a Licensing Law dating back to 1974 for the foreseeable future. This would be indefensible.”
The amendment lodged by the Constable’s Committee would hand decision-making powers for alcohol licensing to each individual constable, making them the “determining authority” in their respective parishes.
It would also remove the proposed role of the Jersey Gambling Commission and embed a new alcohol policy guidance framework within the law.
But Ms Parkin, an independent hospitality business owner of more than 30 years, argued the amendment undermines extensive consultation and collaboration that has already taken place.
“This proposed legislation has been developed through extensive consultation, collaboration and careful consideration involving industry bodies, government officers, legal experts, and stakeholders from across the visitor economy and events sectors,” she said.
She claimed that despite meetings between representatives of the Jersey Hospitality Association, the Chamber of Commerce and constables, the amendment has been pursued in a way that shows “a failure to properly engage with the process, a failure to represent the interests of Island businesses and a prioritisation of self interest over the economic wellbeing of the Island”.
At a time when the economy is “under immense pressure”, she warned, the intervention has “undermined everything that has been worked towards so far”.
Ms Parkin cautioned that if the law fails as a direct result of the amendment, the Constables “will be held accountable for that outcome”, adding that the business community would be clear “where responsibility lies”.
“We are asking you to start listening,” she said. “We are asking you to engage with the reality of the very difficult situation our island economy is facing. This is a broader representation of Island business, not a narrow sectoral issue.”
Ms Parkin urged Members not to “cling to outdated traditions or parish-based control structures that no longer serve a modern economy or an internationally competitive Island”.
“Retreating into the comfortable familiarity of ‘this is how it has always been done’ is not leadership,” she wrote. “Jersey has to grow. Jersey has to change.”
She added: “Meaningful progress is not optional. It is essential.”
