Town Centre News

Blue Lounge loses Best Bar None status

Posted on 02/06/2010

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The Blue Lounge has been stripped of its Best Bar None status by Rochdale Town Centre Management and Rochdale Borough Council.

The town centre bar was brought to review by police and the council’s licensing department following a serious assault on a 27-year-old man that took place on the premises on 15 May 2010. This followed several warnings given to the venue over the last few months, regarding failing to comply with the conditions of the license. Stringent new conditions were imposed on the premises’ licence by the council’s Licensing Committee, which included the removal of the designated premises supervisor and shortened opening hours, in a bid to bring the pubs’ management up to standard. As a result the Best Bar None Scheme operators have decided to withdraw its Best Bar None Accredited status.

The Best Bar None Accreditation system has been running in Rochdale since 2008 and is the result of a partnership between Rochdale Town Centre Management, Rochdale Borough Council, Greater Manchester Police, and Fire Service. The UK-wide scheme, which is backed by the Home Office and BII (the professional body for the licensed retail sector) was piloted in Manchester in 2003 and has since been adopted by over sixty other towns and cities nationwide with great success. Best Bar None (BBN) aims to reward licensees who provide good management, a safe and enjoyable environment for customers, discourage binge drinking and prevent alcohol-related crime. It encourages licensees to act responsibly and take pride in their premises and surroundings and, in doing so, put something back into the town and their local community. The rewards for licensees include the prestige of being part of the awards scheme, increased business within the area and lower insurance premiums resulting from the fact that they are running safer establishments.

Debbie O’Brien, Town Centre Manager said “It’s really important that the credibility of this national scheme is maintained as the town centre venues work incredibly hard to achieve accredited status. Unfortunately in this case we have been left with no alternative than to remove the Blue Lounge’s Best Bar None status for 2009/2010. We hope that the venue will reapply for the next round of assessment which will be open soon for judging later this year. As long as standards are improved and the Blue Lounge begins to cooperate more effectively with police and licensing, they may stand a chance of regaining BBN status.”

Beverley Wilkinson, Licensing Manager at Rochdale Borough Council, added: “Best Bar None status brings many benefits to licensees so we expect a high level of commitment from them to the scheme’s principles of good management and providing a safe environment for patrons. We simply can’t allow any premise to jeopardise the credibility of the scheme and so where premises are not fulfilling their obligations we’ll always remove their accredited status.

“Thankfully, Rochdale Town Centre hosts 9 Best Bar None accredited pubs and clubs in total so our patrons can feel reassured that we’re committed to providing a safe environment for all our customers working in partnership with licensees. In the cases where premises aren’t performing up to standard we’ll take whatever action is necessary to maintain public safety.”