Yes indeed. The level of the liquor licence fee is very low (like £30 for three years). Some of the locally set PELs are very high, the lowest £150 per year. Some of the higher charging local authorities are very much higher, receiving vast amounts from PEL revenue.

By combining PELs and liquor into the premises licence and setting (and increasing) the level centrally, all this revenue is going direct to the treasury.

I would not mind this too much if all premises paying this fee, could provide small-scale music making, but this is to be optional, the exact nature of the music having to be specified well in advance if the licencee requires this.

These premises will have to be further inspected and approval or conditions obtained from the local authority. the main reason why only 5% of liquor licensed premises have taken up the current PEL.

The resulting (first) higher charge and increased control is unlikely to be good news to conventional entertainment, and a disaster for participatory folk events, in the smaller establishments.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/new_responsibilities/liclaw.html. For the details The White Paper.