Deputy submits second proposal for post-covid pub promos

Saturday 22 August 2020

The politician with the campaign slogan ‘Get on the L.Ash’ has put forward another plan to allow bars, pubs and restaurants to offer drinks promotions – this time for a limited period only.

Deputy Lindsay Ash, the Assistant Minister for Treasury and Resources, says his proposal should assist the hospitality industry post-covid.

He suggests that in light of the effects of the crisis, bars, pubs and restaurants should be allowed to offer and advertise promotions on drinks until 31 December 2021. 

Pictured: Deputy Lindsay Ash believes the hospitality industry should be able to offer promotions until the end of 2021. 

Deputy Ash previously lodged a proposal to allow ‘Happy Hour’ promotions to run indefinitely, which will be debated by States members on 8 September.  

In his latest proposal, which will be debated on 22 September, he writes: 

“At a time when hospitality and tourism is looking to try and make a come-back after the shut-down of businesses during the pandemic, the questions of why promotions on drinks (such as ‘Happy Hours’ or ‘Buy one get one free’ or similar) are not permitted in Jersey has been put back into sharp focus.” 

Pictured: Allowing drinks promotions would help businesses recover post-covid.  

Deputy Ash is also calling for more transparency regarding the pricing of alcohol in Jersey. 

“At present, there is a public perception, whether factual or not, that pricing and the supply of alcohol to licensed premises is very much a closed shop run by a select few, backed by the Licensing Assembly,” he says. 

In response, he wants the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority to complete a review of the Island-wide pricing of alcohol to provide “much needed clarification” to both States members and the public. 

The final part of his proposal asks for the Licensing Law - which governs the sale of alcoholic beverages - to be updated so that States Members have more say over policies around alcohol, rather than those discussions resting simply with a panel of jurats known as the Licensing Assembly.

Explaining his rationale, the Deputy writes: "Basically, I am undecided as to whether minimum pricing is a good or a bad thing; but it is irrelevant what I think and indeed it is irrelevant what Members of the Assembly think as, under the Licensing (Jersey) Law 1974, we have no rights to challenge the decision of the Licensing Assembly to implement this policy on the island population.

"There are arguments, of course, and a debate to be had, but not a debate that elected Members can participate in to any degree."