Pub can reopen after council reinstates licence

The Fox and Goose in Greets Green Road, West Bromwich, has been closed since February 27 after the owners had their licence temporarily suspended following police complaints about “serious” crime and disorder.

Following an investigation, Sandwell Council has now given owners Tina and Gurdeep Bali a new licence allowing the pub to re-open.

Duncan Craig, who represented Mr and Mrs Bali at the licensing hearing on Monday (March 18), said the pair were “recalibrating” the business and wanted earlier opening hours to serve breakfast with food becoming the mainstay for the Greets Green Road pub.

Last month, West Midlands Police had requested that Sandwell Council urgently investigate its “serious” concerns over the Fox and Goose and councillors then ruled the venue should have its licence suspended pending a full hearing.

The council’s licensing committee, in a private hearing, ruled the licence would be temporarily suspended following an incident on February 23 pending a full hearing.

Following last month’s licensing hearing, West Midlands Police said it had agreed ‘a way forward’ with the pub owners to allow earlier opening hours while bringing closing time forward an hour – with the stipulation that alcohol could not be served during the newer earlier opening hours.

The licence now gives permission for the pub to open 9am to 11.30pm between Monday and Thursday, 9am to 1.30am on Friday and Saturday and 9am to 11.30pm on Sundays. But the sale of alcohol differs slightly and can only be served from 11am and 11pm between Monday and Thursday, 10am to 1am on Friday and Saturday and 10am to 11pm on Sundays.

The previous opening hours were 4pm to 10.45pm every day with the old licence permitting the pub to sell alcohol until 11.30pm between Monday and Wednesday, 12.30am every Thursday, 2.30am on Friday and Saturday and 11pm on Sunday. The licence was first granted in September 2005.

Police said a section 18 wounding with intent, two section 47 assaults – where somebody “intentionally or recklessly assaults another” causing actual bodily harm (ABH), and a common assault took place at the pub on Friday, February 23.

The ruling comes following an ‘accelerated’ expedited review where Sandwell Council was given 48 hours to decide whether it was necessary to take interim steps over the concerns of a “senior” police officer.

Last month’s incident comes shortly after a man was left with “serious” injuries following a “brutal” assault at the pub in the early hours of December 10 last year.

The man was hit in the face with a glass and left with extensive scarring and some loss of vision.

A 34-year-old man was arrested in relation to the incident but was later released while the investigation continued.

An appeal for witnesses from police followed with PC Cassandra Richards from Sandwell CID, saying: “This was a brutal assault which left a young man with horrendous injuries.

“It occurred in a busy pub with many members of the public present so somebody must have witnessed it.”