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| The Best Bar None Awards scheme was developed by the Greater Manchester Police's City Centre Safe project as part of its' remit to address alcohol related crime. Work in this area was a result of the findings of the British Crime Survey in 2001 and other local data analysis which showed that a significantly high proportion of crime (both violent and acquisitive) was directly or indirectly attached to licensed premises with poor management standards. |
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| Chris Gould initiated the scheme in Croydon in conjunction with Paul Foster from Croydon Council in 2003 following a meeting with Jan Brown and Steve Greenacre from Greater Manchester Police. Chris was the Police Licensing officer between 2001 and 2006 in Croydon, which had one of the largest nighttime economies in the South Of England. The scheme is hugely successful and playes an important role in reducing violent crime in Croydon Town Centre by 11% per year on average. The scheme was recently launched throughout the Metropolitan Police District and then nationwide |
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| Development work on the awards began in Manchester in late 2001, as extensive discussions were held with various bodies within the alcohol industry to devise a way of setting a common benchmark of operating standards for pubs and clubs. |
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| It was felt that some form of incentive for operators to raise standards was required to complement targeted enforcement activity, which was also being pioneered by City Centre Safe team at this time. Initially to get the project off the ground it required a series of presentations to licensees on an individual basis to sell the idea but by the third year of operation publicans were calling the CCS team asking to take part in the scheme. |
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| That said Best Bar None works best when it sits within a comprehensive crime reduction strategy, one that includes strong enforcement activity that serves to reinforce scheme standards. Working this way, the experience in Manchester has been that they achieved some notable results in terms of violent crime reduction. |
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| Latest figures quoted by them states that late night disorder in the area is down by 12%, with some premises reporting a 75% reduction after adopting the scheme. |
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| The scheme is being adopted by cities such as Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham, whilst Manchester, Weston-Super-Mare, Croydon, Altrincham, Plymouth and Stockport are already up and running. The National Union of Students has taken up the scheme for all its premises throughout the UK. |
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| It also has the support of national trade associations like the Bar Entertainment Dance Association; Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers and British Beer Pub Association. Meanwhile the Morning Advertiser, (national alcohol industry newspaper) has offered to fully support and promote this process to the alcohol industry UK wide. |
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| Many national and international producers such as Anheuser-Busch are also keen to support improved standards in licensed premises and the way their product is sold. They have expressed interest in contributing to the funding of this. |
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| Best Bar None is increasingly becoming recognised as a quality brand by all that are positively involved with licensed premises and the alcohol industry. |
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| An application form and a letter of invitation to join the scheme will be sent to all licensees and to representatives of the owning companies for chain premises. These are sent back to the individual or department deemed responsible as the assessor. Where the scheme exists this is usually managed by either the Environmental Health service or by the police. The responses on the application form go towards marking the ‘Achieved' column on the scoring sheet for each business. |
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| The application form has been drafted to reflect the new Licensing Act and addresses a wide range of issues that well-managed licensed premises should have a considered policy about. The form is a living document that can change on an annual basis (after consultation) in order that it may address issues of concern; reflect changing best practice and slowly ‘raise the bar' for standards year on year. |
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| It can also be used as a checklist for premises applying for a premise licence and when completed it will have taken the venue through all the issues it should have considered in compiling a meaningful operating schedule. Ultimately it has the potential to deliver consistency of standards throughout a given area. |
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| Premises applying for the award are visited by a team of assessors drawn from the licensing sections of the council and the police. |
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| A comprehensive ‘Guidance Notes' document has also been produced which will ensure that consistent marking and judging standards will be applied across the whole range of alcohol retail outlets from the high volume bar to the smaller ‘locals' licensed premises. |
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| Consistency of approach is ensured by the use of the common application form, guidance notes and score sheet. The use of these documents also allows assessors to record evidence of any new and innovative ideas that are making premises safer. Thus the guide not only aids consistency to ensure the validity of any benchmark, but also helps the award process to evolve and be dynamic by recording practices, which can be more widely disseminated and included in future application forms. |
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| After the assessment visits, the ‘Evidenced' column on the scoring sheet is marked and the applicant is ranked according to their score. To ensure Best Bar None is applicable throughout the wide range of retail outlets, premises are compared only with those who are in the same category. It has in built mechanisms to ensure that premises are only compared like with like. |
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| Three categories of assessment are used which are nominated by the venues themselves, these are; ‘Club', ‘Pub' or ‘Bar'. All premises, which meet the minimum standard – i.e. those who have met all the ‘essential criteria' listed in the marking Guidance Notes, are awarded an accreditation. |
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| The top premises in each category are then collated and go forward to the judging night. This number will be dependent on how many premises apply though there should be no more than five selected from each category. |
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| Aside from ensuring objectivity, the idea of a judging night is to further the process of partnership and ensure key stakeholder involvement. This is done by choosing a panel that should include local politicians, prominent local business people, the local police commander, alcohol trade group representative, key sponsors, chief licensing officers, local authority chief executive or leader, head of local Government Office and the media. |
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| All of the above meet together to receive a mini overview of the visits and mark the short listed venues in each of the three categories (pub, club or bar). Individual areas can also institute their own additional prize or prizes to reflect local issues. |
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| The final results of the judging yield a winner and a runner up in each of the three categories. The judges then finally decide the overall winner of Best Bar None from amongst the three category winners. |
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| The awards are presented at a high profile awards night to reinforce the importance and stature of the process. Again this is designed to be a landmark on the local commercial scene and a celebration of good practice. |
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| However, the award scheme is just that, it is not a punitive enforcement tool as such. Rather, its purpose is to encourage constructive engagement between enforcement agencies and the alcohol trade in order to improve standards in a long-term sustainable way. |
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| The recognition for achieving the standards set can either be in the form of a plaque to be held on the premise, usually in a prominent position behind the serving area, or window stickers could be used so as to clearly identify and ‘badge' the premises that are regarded as safe venues. |
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| Let Premier Licensing assist you and your premises. Chris Gould in an authorised assessor for Best Bar None let him and his team advise you how to improve your standing within the scheme. If you have never been accredited we can help you to become so. In this way your premises can remain ahead of the rest as well as making your venue safer and better run. Your inclusion into the national scheme will provide you with beneficial advertising as well as having a venue that will be easier for you to maintain and control. |
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