Pubs, bars and clubs gathered on 14 July to celebrate the Best Bar None (BBN) scheme.
An award ceremony was held at Yates in Weymouth on Thursday 14 July to celebrate the hard work that licensees have put in to make the scheme a success for the second year.
The borough has 15 businesses signed up to the Best Bar None (four more than the previous year). The award assessment is based on a bronze, silver and gold marking. Due to the hard work of the licensees in the scheme no premises received bronze, two received silver and 13 received gold ranking.
The overall winner of the night was The Closet who scored the most marks.
Weymouth & Portland Borough Council Community Safety Briefholder Cllr Francis Drake said: “I would like to congratulate The Closet for being the winners of the Best Bar None Awards. I would also like to thank all the businesses that have signed up to the scheme who have done a great job of making sure our residents and visitors have a good night out and I am glad we could celebrate the great work with these awards.
“With more licensees joining the scheme each year we can only go from strength to strength and continue our work with the help of partners to make sure everyone who has a night out in the Weymouth has an enjoyable and even safer experience.”
BBN is a national accreditation scheme which was launched by Weymouth & Portland Borough Council with support from Dorset Police, Pubwatch and Weymouth BID.
The scheme is aimed at reducing alcohol-related crime and disorder in towns by building a positive relationship between the licensed trade, police and local authorities. There are many benefits of the scheme, both for trade and the general public, most notably, creating a safer environment. By sharing good practice, the scheme also highlights how operating more responsibly can increase the profitability of an individual business and make a certain area more appealing to customers.
Other benefits of the scheme are:
• Potential reduction in public liability insurance costs
• Visible accreditation from being part of a recognised, nationally acclaimed scheme
• Access to advice regarding changes in legislation
• Best practice being shared between licence holders
• Improved confidence for customers
• An improved public image for the town and subsequent trade
• Continued improved relationships with Dorset Police, the borough council and licensing authorities
Licensees who aren’t already signed up to the Best Bar None scheme will have the opportunity to join in January 2017 when applications for new businesses to join the scheme will be open. In the meantime if licensees in Weymouth town centre would like to learn more about the scheme please contact the borough council’s Licensing Team on 01305 838000 or go to www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/licensing/alcohol-entertainment-licence
