Memorandum from the Tenpin Bowling Proprietors
Association of Great Britain (DGB 123)
The Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association represents
109 Tenpin Bowling Centres throughout the UK employing over 2,750
people. Our members operate over 1,800 machines covered by the
proposed legislation.
I enclose a copy of our Association's letter
to DCMS and their response, which I believe has been forwarded
for consideration to the Scrutiny Committee. If not please would
you draw the correspondence to the attention of the committee.
The Association's concerns about the current
draft bill remain as set out but I wish to expand on one specific
point answered by the DCMS.
The DCMS have suggested that the 200 plus bowling
centres throughout the UK will remain in the same category as
a pub which under the draft bill will restrict each premises to
only two Type C machines. This falls far short of the current
average of 17+. The proposal is that guidance to Local Authorities
will identify bowling centres as "a special category which
is expected to have substantially more machines".
This approach is unacceptable to our members
as it leaves them exposed to Local Authorities establishing their
own policies without regard to central guidance. Not an uncommon
occurrence!
Our suggestion for remedy to the current drafting
would be to firstly guarantee grandfather rights to all existing
centres and secondly to classify tenpin bowling/family entertainment
centres with liquor licences in the same category as family entertainment
centres without liquor licences. This will allow the numbers of
machines to remain the same as currently operated but at the same
time ensuring operators comply with the controls in the current
draft bill.
To date the Association feels that insufficient
consideration has been given to the unique nature/style of operation
that Tenpin Centres offer. In order to address this issue I would
like to invite members of the committee to visit some centres
to fully appreciate the characteristics and potential implications
of the draft bill to our business.
February 2004
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