The Ashford Club, County Hotel, Hollywood Bowl, Ashford Truck Stop and Singleton Barn are accredited. What the badge actually checks, and what it does not.
Five licensed venues in Ashford borough have been accredited under Best Bar None, the national scheme that assesses how pubs, clubs, hotels and other licensed premises look after customers on a night out. The accredited venues are The Ashford Club, The County Hotel, Hollywood Bowl, Ashford Truck Stop and the Singleton Barn.
Certificates were presented on Thursday 9 July at Ashford police station, during a Pubwatch meeting held by Ashford Partnership Against Crime. Ashford Borough Council published the announcement on 7 August, crediting Kent Police.
What the accreditation actually means
Best Bar None is supported by the Home Office and the drinks and hospitality industries. It is an assessment of how a venue is run rather than a review of it, and the scheme’s own description sets out four things it looks at.
Venue management covers security measures and the steps a premises takes to limit noise, litter and other effects on the surrounding area. Staff training and care looks at how a business supports its staff to do the job and protects their wellbeing. Customer safety and welfare includes preventing sales of alcohol to under-18s. Customer service and community covers the welcome a venue gives its customers and its neighbours. Accredited businesses receive a personalised report with suggestions for improvement, and the criteria are revised periodically to reflect current concerns, including the safety of women and girls.
Two things are worth knowing about the badge. It runs for one year, so a certificate is a statement about the last assessment and not a permanent status. And it is not a food hygiene rating, which is a separate register kept by the council’s environmental health team and published by the Food Standards Agency, nor is it a judgement on the drink, the food or the prices.
Ashford’s district commander, Chief Inspector Jennifer Bassan, said the scheme “highlights how businesses are upholding high standards to create safe and welcoming environments for customers, while contributing positively to the night-time economy”, and described work with licensed premises as “a vital tool in keeping people safe when they are out socialising”.
Cllr Ray McGeever, who chairs Ashford Borough Council’s licensing committee, thanked the venues, Kent Police, Ashford Partnership Against Crime and Pubwatch members, and said he looked forward “to seeing more local businesses participate in the scheme in the future”.
What it means for you
If you are choosing somewhere for an evening out, the accreditation tells you something narrow but real: that the venue has been assessed by the police and the council against a published set of standards on door security, staff training, customer welfare and its effect on the street outside, and that it passed within the last year. It tells you nothing about whether you will enjoy the place.
The five accredited venues are spread across the borough rather than concentrated in the town centre, which reflects how Ashford’s licensed trade actually works: a members’ club and a hotel in town, a bowling venue, a truck stop on the international freight route and a pub-restaurant at Singleton.
For a licensed business, the scheme is open to any premises, whether a bar, club, restaurant or hotel, with assessments run locally by the police and the council and tailored to the size of the business. Details of how to take part are on the Best Bar None website.
You can find contact details and opening information for licensed premises across the borough in our Ashford business directory.
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