Has the decline in our society reached a stage where pubs are applying to become a youth service?

I suppose they are warm and have places to sit, but it’s the last place I would expect to welcome unaccompanied minors with open arms when they finish class. It makes me picture a bunch of 12-year-olds sitting around a table sipping pints, not a phone in sight, just living in the moment. Right.

At a Licensing Board meeting this week, an Edinburgh pub firm sought permission from the council to allow children aged 12-15 to frequent three of its boozers without adult supervision. To be clear, they would not be served alcohol.

The bosses at Signature Pubs Limited claimed there is a “strong demand” for schoolchildren to attend their “family-friendly” venues after school for a meal: McLarens on the Corner in Morningside, Cold Town House in Grassmarket, and The Fountain bar on Dundee Street.

The idea is that these unaccompanied youths, in groups of up to six, would come in and spend their pocket money on fizzy juice and/or food until 8pm. It’s unclear if they will be ordering from the kids menu, or if they will be allowed to tuck into a £20 burger like a grown-up. The teens can flash their Young Scot Card or passport to prove they are underage.

The firm also hoped that it would prevent the youths from “venturing farther from home” to hotspots like Lothian Road and St James Quarter. Instead, they could attend one of Signature’s venues to enjoy a £4 hot chocolate while the geezer next to them shouts at Sky Sports.

“These are family-friendly venues with well-trained staff,” a solicitor for Signature Pubs told the meeting. “It offers an accessible space for children to........

© Herald Scotland