For those who are unaware, Bridport’s Number 10 Cafe Bar (No10) has been put under yet another license review. This is the second time in recent years that No10 has been targeted, unfairly in many people’s opinion, by the local authorities, who paint a very dark, unruly and totally inaccurate picture of the venue.
Below is my letter of support that I have sent to the licensing committee on behalf of No10 which should hopefully provide some background and information regarding these events.
No10 has done so much to support the local music and arts scene since it opened in 2001, particularly helping the younger members of the community – giving them their first gigs and opportunities, many of who are now gigging regularly as a result. The town cannot afford to lose another of its great venues.
For reference – my most recent letter to the West Dorset Licensing Committee:
The Licensing Officer
West Dorset District Council
Stratton House
58 High West Street
Dorchester
Dorset
DT1 1UZ
8th January 2013
Dear Sir/Madam,
Representation for the Premises License Review, Number 10 Café Bar Bridport
Bridport is no ordinary small town. It is a thriving market community, internationally known for its incredibly strong and diverse art and music culture. For many years we have boasted a huge amount of entertainment compared to towns of a similar size, and we are very proud of this heritage. People would come to Bridport from the surrounding towns purely because of its music scene; in fact some of my best friends, recently married, met in this way.
My point is this – No10 is one of the hubs of the Bridport arts and music community – a very strong community that all of us in Bridport are extremely proud of. It has a very strong tradition of supporting local live music in particular, often giving young and inexperienced acts a chance to perform, many of whom have now gone on to have very successful careers in the music industry. Any change to the current licensing agreement could put this tradition at risk, and be extremely detrimental to the town as a whole.
I am myself now part of a successful local duo, playing around 30-40 gigs per year at various bars and clubs, as well as weddings and other functions. We owe our existence to No10 – without it we would never have met at its famous Open Mic night (the original member of the now extensive Howl Open Mic Night group), and without the chances given to us by the Landlord Paul Hindes we would have never begun to put the duo together, let alone play the packed paid gigs we do now.
Bridport has suffered severely in recent years – we have lost our club and the two biggest town centre bars. I feel particularly sorry for the local 18-25 year olds, who really now have no where else to go, which certainly was not the case when I was that age. As a town, we cannot afford to lose another venue. And that’s exactly what inflicting further license restrictions on No10 will do – close it down.
Speaking to the local community, this comes as no surprise. There is a local perception – and I am not saying that this is the case, merely what I hear from people in the town – that this is a deliberate ploy to shut the venue down via the back door. It is however a fact that the authorities – the police, the fire officers – are far stricter on No10 than they are any other premises in Bridport, and in this I include premises of a similar size. It is difficult to argue with this local perception when looking at the way in which No10 has been treated comparatively in recent years, especially considering the comments below regarding licensing terms.
Regarding the current terms of the premises license, I would like the committee to consider the following comments.
- Prevention of Crime and Disorder and Public Safety
Being a regular at the bar as a customer, and also as a performer, I am frequently in No10 throughout the week. For the vast, vast majority of the time, No10 is a very friendly, safe and welcoming place to be. As well as the several acoustic music nights the bar puts on every week, I also know a number of local workers and pensioners who often go in for lunch due to this atmosphere, and a number of the local market traders, for whom the bar opens early on market days, are also frequent users.
The complaints that instigated this current review appear to be focussed on a few incidents that have occurred late at night on weekends. A lot of these incidents are not No10’s doing at all – in fact, the number of incidents has only increased since the closure of Bridport’s night club, and the two largest bars in the town centre. There are simply not enough places to go out in Bridport at the weekend, and any restriction to the current licensing terms will only serve to increase this problem further. Any problems there may be at the moment will only move somewhere else, and be magnified even more as a result of any restriction.
On the few occasions when trouble has occurred at No10, from my own observations the issue is dealt with a contained quickly and professionally by the staff. No10 is particularly vigilant when dealing with violent incidents – with staff containing the incident quickly and notifying the police immediately. I mention this as I understand that the number of call-outs to the police is one of the factors that has always come up in these reviews, and I feel that No10 is constantly being punished for its vigilance. On the one hand, the police claim that they wish to help and aid the bar, so they should be contacted, but then they use this as evidence against the bar. One could argue that this could be perceived as borderline entrapment.
- Protection of Children from Harm
Being a regular visitor to the bar, I have seen first-hand the rigorous enforcement of the proof of age requirements. I would go as far to suggest that, particularly at weekends due to the generally young average age of the clientele, that No10 is more vigilant than any other bar in the town. I have seen identification being produced many times by customers that, in my ignorance at least, I would have never considered to have been underage. Any young person that is not known by the staff is asked to proof their age, and nobody known to be underage is ever served. The staff are all very well known locally, so the chances that somebody can slip under the radar is very low, even more so when compared to a lot of other establishments.
It is also important to note at this point as well that, as far as I am aware, No10 has one of the highest percentages of staff with personal licenses in the town. There is never a time when there is not at least one license holder on the premises, from early morning to late at night.
- Prevention of Public Nuisance
As I have mentioned previously, the vast majority of the time No10 is a nice warm and friendly place, so it follows that the vast majority of the time there is absolutely nothing that can be inferred as a nuisance to the public. In fact, I know personally a number of No10’s immediate neighbours in East Street that frequent and enjoy the bar as much as I do. Again, I feel that any possible objection raised in this area would be focussed on the few incidents that occur late at night on weekends, and, as before, this cannot all be put firmly at No10’s door. The bar is situated right in the centre of town, in close proximity to both The Greyhound Hotel (a Wetherspoons establishment) and the local kebab house. I would also like to stress that this in itself is not really a problem, as for most of the time the congregation is well humoured and friendly.
The incidents that do occur all along this street are often dealt with, or any help being given aided by, the No10 staff, even though they do not directly involve the No10 venue or its customers. Again, since this behaviour appears to be counted and used against No10, it may be that they are, yet again, being punished for their responsible attitude.
In summary – as a life-long Bridport resident, I am extremely proud of its vibrant arts and music scene, and always have been, and in my many travels I have witnessed how well known the place is, and how strong it is compared to other towns. Bridport has suffered in recent years so much that we are now in a position where the 18-25 year age group has very little option but to visit Weymouth for entertainment, which is unsustainable for the town’s community.
In my opinion, the committee and council as a whole should be supportive of local business, and if anything should be encouraging more venues to open and cater for the town’s young people, instead of constantly attacking one of the jewels in its crown.
No10 is the first domino. If licensing restrictions are added so that the venue is forced the close, it will be the beginning of the end for the fantastic community that has been built up over many years, and one that I am extremely proud to be part of.
Taking all of the above into consideration, I urge the committee to help us protect our town – I urge the committee to think about the consequences of effectively closing a much loved and much needed local venue and I urge the committee to think about what is best for the future of our town – and the potentially catastrophic results of a rash and incorrect decision.
Yours Faithfully…
