Licensing Act 1904
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| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Licensing Acts, 1828 to 1902, in respect to the extinction of Licences and the grant of new Licences. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 4 Edw. 7. c. 23 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales[b] |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 15 August 1904 |
| Commencement | 1 January 1905[c] |
| Repealed | 1 January 1911 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | |
| Repealed by | Licensing (Consolidation) Act 1910 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Licensing Act 1904 (4 Edw. 7. c. 23) was a controversial act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom regulating the closure of public houses (pubs) in England and Wales. It was introduced by the Home Secretary, supported by Prime Minister Arthur Balfour and passed by his Conservative Party.[1][2]
The issue helped the Liberal Party win the 1906 United Kingdom general election by a landslide.[3] The Licensing Act 1904 aimed to reduce the number of pubs. It proposed to compensate brewers for the cancellation of their licence, through a fund the brewers themselves would have to pay into.[4] This led many Nonconformists who adhered to temperance (see United Kingdom Alliance) to denounce it as a "brewers' bill". Meanwhile, the brewers themselves were generally dissatisfied, and they let their customers know.[5]
The whole act was repealed by section 112 of, and the seventh schedule to, the Licensing (Consolidation) Act 1910 (10 Edw. 7 & 1 Geo. 5. c. 24), which came into force on 1 January 1911.[6]
