Assessing the feasibility of using health information in alcohol licensing decisions: a case study of seven English local authorities

In 2011, local authority Directors of Public Health were designated as one of the responsible authorities for all alcohol licensing decisions in England. Since there is no explicit licensing objective around health, any representations need to be based on the existing objectives oriented around public safety, prevention of nuisance, child protection, and crime prevention. We aimed to appraise the benefits of an analytical support package developed by Public Health England in facilitating the use of health-related information in local licensing decisions and the prospects for a dedicated health-related licensing objective.