I think (no - I 'know') that the repercussions of this Bill are just now beginning to sink in at other levels of government. Apart from the music aspects, two points have been brought to my attention:

There's apparently a requirement, now, for a personal license holder to be on any licensed premises every hour that it is open. Local Authority officers here had worked out that this would mean 2 people per premises and they could easily cope with the paperwork. Our local LVA has just pointed out that, given shift work, holidays, sick leave, etc. AND given that the Bill also now allows for longer opening hours, the Authority will be processing AT LEAST double that amount. And the LA admits that they do not have the capacity.

Second point: I've just had a civil servant from the National Assembly (Wales) on the phone who tells me that the Bill will make it illegal for petrol station shops to sell alcohol.   The National Assembly strategy for keeping rural petrol stations open hinges on diversification, which largely means providing village shop and post office facilities. They've suddenly realized that the Bill is a major kick in the teeth for the strategy.

Sadly, he also didn't realize that the Bill has actulaly passed! (((big sigh))) I told them that they should be paying more attention to this thing ....

sian