drink-fuelled violence in towns and cities may have disastrous consequences for our rural communities”.

The Act allows village halls to hold just 12 events each year where alcohol can be served. Should they wish to hold any more than this, they must pay the full licensing fee in the same way as a pub and appoint a designated premises supervisor with an accredited licensing qualification. Many village halls, terrified by the cost and complexity of the forms, have decided to rely on these 12 temporary event notices, inadequate as they are.

Mr Bacon added: “Village halls are caught between either applying for a premises licence, with massive costs and bureaucracy far too burdensome for volunteers to take on, or instead restricting their activities to 12 events per year and facing a critical loss in vital revenue. Village halls are hardly a hotbed of anti-social behaviour and I have urged the Government to rethink these measures before irreparable damage is done”.

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