In 2007 an agreement was reached between Greater Manchester Police, the Home Office and BII, the professional body for the licensed retail sector, to develop Best Bar None (BBN) nationally. An independent board has now been formed and is currently chaired by Lord Rupert Redesdale. BII's role in Best Bar None is to help and foster future development of the scheme.
The number of BBN schemes is now running at 90, with the Chief Executive John McNamara further promoting their development, an article in the Morning Advertiser reports. However McNamara was keen to highlight that schemes should not become mandatory, and that the emphasis should be on local schemes adapting a bottom up approach. The article also highlighted the paperwork necessary for BBN participation was also being reduced, one of the concerns highlighted by some local authorities regarding the scheme.
However more serious questions have been raised in the past relating to evaluating the effectiveness of the schemes, which have been suggested in some cases as costly and time consuming. An evaluation of Croydon's BBN scheme showed that while some positive partnership outcomes were apparent, a number of issues meant effectiveness was difficult to demonstrate.
For further information on BBN and examples of schemes across the country see here
To visit the official BBN site see here
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