Annual licence fees are kick in the teeth for Fife pub owners who were closed for over half the year thecourier.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thecourier.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tom Johnston has been responsible for securing licenses for pubs and restaurants across the country. After retiring from the role – which saw him a familiar figure at licensing board meetings in Dunfermline – several years ago, he is currently sharing his food knowledge through his website, Tom s Food! His Tom Cooks! section includes a variety of recipes, Tom Eats! has restaurant reviews while his new, On The Side! section offers a range of food news and ideas. As well as helping to fill in his time during lockdown – he has written over 120 columns in the last year – the website allows Tom, 66, to fulfill his dream job of being a restaurant reviewer.
A RETIRED Dunfermline licensing expert says restaurants have been served a raw deal with coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Tom Johnston, a licensing lawyer, said he felt safer in restaurants than in supermarkets when allowed to dine out last year and believes eateries are not being treated fairly. Also understanding the plight of pubs and bars, he is hoping that places will be able to re-open at the end of April as planned. I am very very sorry for the pubs – until recently I was secretary of the Fife Licensed Trade Association – but it is terribly unfair that restaurants are being treated exactly the same as pubs.