Interesting news reaches us that has lead to the licensing laws of Glasgow City Council being labelled “Sissy“.

According to UPI, recent changes to licensing requirements within Glasgow, require a parent to escort children under 16 years old to the toilets in licensed establishments, including restaurants. Arguably, this would mean that a teenage boy would have to go to the ladies with his mother.

The regulation states: “While children are in any part of licensed premises and in particular the toilet areas, they must at all times be within sight of an accompanying adult.”

According to the Scottish Child Law Centre, it is not against the law to leave children of any age unattended by an adult – but it is against the law to leave children in circumstances which are likely to put them in any kind of danger or risk of injury. And, as they point out, anyone under 16 is still legally a child.

So why the new rules from Glasgow? Child protection, say the Council. They are also quoted as saying they expect people to apply the rule with “a degree of common sense”.

As non-compliance potentially puts a restaurateur’s livlihood at stake, it might have been better to use “a degree of common sense” in drafting the conditions in the first place?