Chancellor Rachel Reeves [Simon Walker / HM Treasury]

BELEAGUERED chancellor Rachel Reeves is to open the door to a licensing free-for-all to get more people out drinking later and tucking into “pavement pints”.

And big operators will be able to secure the green light for extra hours without the basic transparency expected by residents.

In a move which will also put Ms Reeves and her colleagues on a collision course with every local and regional newspaper in the country, the government wants to axe the need to advertise licensing changes sought by pubs and clubs.

She dismissed this vital lever of democracy as “red tape”­ ­– a comment which will be met with celebrations by multinational supermarkets, giant fast food chains and big breweries.

The modest fee for an advert clearly makes little difference as to whether a business ultimately succeeds or fails.

But without them residents and amenity groups will have to search harder to find information about whether the bar at the end of their road will soon be staying open all hours.

In many cases, it will probably be too late to respond with any concerns, relevant particularly in an area like Camden where there is a need to balance the wonderful array of nightlife for which parts of the borough are so famous and the need for residents to be protected from sleepless nights.

The chancellor, who cut the winter fuel allowance and welfare benefits in her first year in charge of the finances, wants pubs to enjoy fast-track permissions in areas designated as ‘hospitality zones’ and for it to be made easier for new bars and clubs to open.

She also wants more alfresco dining.

Instead of taking questions on the proposals, she simply briefed the Mail On Sunday without any further debate or discussion.

Owen Meredith, chief executive of the News Media Association, said: “The proposed removal of licensing application notices from local newspapers would amount to a betrayal of local communities and the public’s right to know.

“Placing public notices in local news media ensures that they appear in independent and highly trusted environments and are fully visible to the communities affected by proposals.

“Those notices appear in print and online via the Public Notice Portal, ensuring maximum reach and coverage. Changing this would, at a stroke, disenfranchise local communities and deprive local journalism of a vital revenue stream.”

He added: “Local pubs, like local papers, are at the heart of their communities and the government should rightly support them.

“This proposal does nothing to help either. It is not a cut to bureaucratic red tape, as framed, but a damaging assault on democratic engagement.”

Ironically, Sir Keir Starmer has said his government recognises the part local media plays in democracy and held a reception for editors earlier in the year in which he made special reference to how the New Journal holds him to account.

Tulip Siddiq, the Hampstead and Highgate MP, has also talked about the importance papers like the CNJ still have in our communities.

Dawn Alford, chief executive of the Society of Editors, said: “By publishing applications in local newspapers and online through the industry’s Public Notice Portal, local residents are not only made aware of what is being proposed in their community but allows them the opportunity to take part in the democratic process of determining whether an application should be granted.

“Removing such a requirement will not only have a detrimental effect on the public’s right to know but it will also disenfranchise communities at a time when many already feel that their voice is not being heard.”

While some local newspapers have seen standards fall in a chase for unrealistic profits, the Regional Press Awards show every year that the best titles are still very much alive and kicking.

The New Journal was named the UK’s best weekly at the most recent edition.

In other areas of the country, MPs and councillors are able to do what they want without any reporters being there to scrutinise their actions.

Some might say that makes an easier life for them, but most reasonable politicians understand the importance of transparency and accountability.

Ms Alford said: “The government has spoken of the importance of the local media and has pledged to publish a Local Media Strategy aimed at ensuring that ‘people in every town, city and village can access trust in news that reflects their lives, helping them to hold local public services to account’.

“At a time when the government is meeting with news representatives to discuss the Local Media Strategy and what support for the sector could look like, the removal of notice applications appears massively at odds and contrary to the government’s recognition of the vital role the local media plays.”

Ms Reeves said: “Our pubs and bars are at the heart of British life. For too long, they’ve been stifled by clunky, outdated rules.

“We’re binning them – to protect pavement pints, al fresco dining and street parties – not just for the summer.”