Do you have a license...?

Is the lack of an ultimate sanction holding back the UK demolition industry?

If I wanted to sell my world-famous bacon sandwiches to the general public, I would require a license; and I would only obtain that license following a physical examination of my food prep’ storage and handling facilities by the local authority.

If I were to gather together the last few remaining issues of my various books and set up a market stall from which to sell them, I would again require a temporary (casual) or permanent license to do so.

Anyone wanting to sell alcohol – whether from a pub, nightclub, hotel, wedding venue, restaurant, convenience store or petrol station – also requires a license.

Should I tire of this journalism gig and decide to switch to asbestos removal, I would require a license.   If I wish to convert my front drive into a transfer station or my back garden into a landfill, yes, you guessed it, I would need a license.

In some instances, licenses feel like overkill; like bureaucracy gone mad.    I could make bacon sandwiches for my family, friends and for countless passers-by.   But the moment I put a price tag on them, I suddenly need a piece of paper and a stamp of approval from a local authority.

However, the licensing of a business or of an entire industry (like waste or asbestos) has one huge advantage.   It provides the ultimate sanction against wrongdoing.   Which is why it feels strange – inexplicable even – that the UK demolition industry is not licensed.