Call for tougher safety rules in Gateshead pubs and clubs as council mulls mandatory 'Ask for Angela' scheme
Gateshead Council’s women and girls committee has called for stronger protections of patrons in licensed premises.
The move comes amid the council’s public consultation on its own licensing policies.
The local authority’s women and girls committee has backed calls to introduce stronger measures to protect revellers, particularly women, as part of any new alcohol licence by 2026. Council officers’ own suggestions include the mandatory sign-up to ‘Ask for Angela’ or similar schemes.
Ask for Angela involves staff within licensed premises being trained in order to assist people in uncomfortable or potential dangerous situations. The initiative allows customers to discreetly ask for help from staff by approaching them and asking for ‘Angela’. The committee did however request further data as to the effectiveness of the scheme.
Vice-chair of the committee, Coun Pamela Burns said: “I do think we should mandate that [staff] they should have some sort of training. And there has to be maybe something behind the bar telling staff what to do, an operating procedure.
“For health and safety for a fire, you have to be able to tell people how to get out of a building safely. If someone is being attacked or feels threatened there should be the same sort of procedure.”
Coun Burns continued: “If someone feels threatened they should know that there is a procedure that they can rely on and they can rely on the help of the premises as well.”
Gateshead Council’s own consultation on its alcohol licensing policy is scheduled to conclude on September 15. The draft policy can be found on the local authority’s website and feedback can be submitted to [email protected].