Pub licensing hours across England and Wales will be extended to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday, the Prime Minister announced today.
Subject to the normal consultation processes, pubs which are licensed to trade until 11pm will be allowed to open to 1am on Saturday 11 June and 1am on Sunday 12 June.
The government will consult on the proposals with relevant parties including licensing authorities, industry and community groups in the normal way.
Past national celebrations where the government has extended licensing hours have included the Royal Wedding in 2011, Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.
The British Beer and Pub Association says extended hours on the relevant Friday and Saturday evenings for the Royal Wedding and Diamond Jubilee celebrations resulted in a £20 million boost to the pub sector.
Today’s announcement represents more welcome news for the pub industry, following the Chancellor’s decision to freeze beer duty in last week’sBudget.