FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a premises licence?

A Premises licence is a document issued under the Licensing Act 2003 that allows licensable activity to take place at a venue in England and Wales. This gives permission for activity like the selling alcohol and hot food late at night to take place.

What is a Personal Licence?

A Personal Licence is a licence held by an individual that demonstrates that they have had the relevant training to be named a Designated Premises Supervisor on a Premises Licence. The Designated Premises Supervisor is allowed to sell or authorise sales of alcohol on any premises that has a premises licence that permits the sale of alcohol.

How long does a Personal Licence last?

A Personal Licence lasts forever as long as you don’t surrender it, or have it removed by the Police for committing an offence. If you lose your Personal Licence or have it stolen, you’ll need to apply to your local council to get a new copy.

What qualification do I need to apply for a Personal Licence?

To apply for a Personal licence, you’ll need a UK accredited level 2 award for Personal Licence holders’ qualification. The qualifications needed include BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders and LASER Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders. There are a few different types of these qualifications so let us know if you have any questions.

What is a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS)?

A Designated Premises Supervisor is the person that usually has the day-to-day duty of running the premises and is usually the manager or supervisor of the premises. They will need to hold a personal licence if they want to be a Designated Premises Supervisor. If the authorities have any questions, then they will usually be the first person they contact.

Does the DPS need to be on the premises all the time?

The Designated Premises Supervisor does not need to be on the premises every day, but it is considered good practice if they do attend the premises regularly to make sure everything is in order. They share the responsibility with the Licensee in making sure that the premises is run according to the licence.

What is the Licensing Act 2003?

The Licensing Act 2003 is the legislation that covers all the laws and regulations around licensable activity in England and Wales, this includes things like selling alcohol providing entertainment like DJ’s or live music and selling hot food and drink between 23:00 to 05:00.

What are the licensing objectives?

The Licensing objectives are the 4 leading principles of the Licensing act 2003. They are;

• The prevention of crime and disorder
• Public Safety
• The prevention of public nuisance
• The protection of children from harm

In an application for a licence, you’ll be expected to show how you will promote these objectives in the application. This can be done by suggesting the appropriate conditions and hours on your application. If you already have a premises licence, the Licensing act 2003 expects you to uphold these objectives while you operate.

What are conditions on a licence?

The conditions on the premises licence are essentially the rules on your licence that you’ll have to keep to. If you breach the conditions on the premises licence you commit an offence and could be liable to prosecution or even a review application.

Mandatory Conditions

All licences have mandatory conditions on the premises licence, mandatory conditions cover things like the measures of alcohol you’re allowed to sell for example pints or 25ml measures of spirits. They also cover things like irresponsible promotions and

What else can I do with a Premises Licence?

A Premises licence can also allow other activities like to take place at a venue besides selling alcohol. You can provide late night refreshment, which selling hot food and drink between the hours of 23:00 to 05:00. Have regulated entertainment at the venue, this includes things like live and recorded music, plays and films and even hosting sporting events.

What is a licensing sub-committee?

A Licensing sub-committee is group of 3 Councillors appointed by the local council to oversee licensing applications. When applications have not been agreed with the responsible authorities or local residents, the licensing sub-committee will listen to all the points raised and decide the outcome of the application. They can decide to issue the licence unchanged, change the licence to something they feel is more suitable or even refuse the licence application altogether. If you apply for a licence it goes to the licensing sub-committee, you could need some expert advice to help persuade the licensing sub-committee to grant the licence you want. If you are unhappy with the decision of the licensing sub-committee, you can appeal the decision to the magistrate’s court.

What is a licensing appeal?

If you’re unhappy with the decision of the licensing sub-committee and you appeal to the magistrate’s court. The judge will listen to both parties involved in the case, at this stage it will be you vs. the local council. At the appeal you will need to explain to the court why you feel the decision of the licensing sub-committee was wrong. Depending on the outcome of the court hearing, you could get the licence you want or end up with a bill for legal fees if you lose the appeal.

What is a review application?

A review application is an application that ask the licensing sub-committee to review the licence when it is believed that the venue is not operating in a way that promotes the licensing objectives. Reviews are usually submitted by a local authority for example the Police, but they can also be submitted by members of the public. Reviews are usually applied for when there has been a lot of complaints about the venue or if a serious incident has happened at the venue.

Where can I get floor plans?

You can usually get floor plans from an architect or get a professional drafts person to provide you with the floor plans. Your landlord may also be able to provide floor plans if you’re renting or leasing a property. If you need to hire a professional, they will generally need to visit your venue and will provide a copy of the floor plans a short time after the visit.

How long does the licence last?

A premises licence is valid indefinitely as long as the annual fee is paid every year. A premises licence is removed if;

• It is revoked by a licensing sub-committee for undermining the licensing objectives
• The licence holder becomes insolvent or incapacitated
• The licence is surrendered to the local council licensing authority

What is an annual fee?

Your annual fee is the fee you need to pay to your local council every year to maintain the licence. If you don’t pay your annual fee, your licence will be suspended. If your licence is suspended, you won’t be able to carry out any licensable activity on your premises until the fee is paid. Carrying out licensable activity while the licence is suspended is an offence under the Licensing act 2003 and could lead to prosecution.

What are application costs?

Application costs cover the fee for the type of application you want to make, making sure the required newspaper advert is published and providing you with floor plans if required. We will provide you a notice to post on the site as part of the application.

The table below will give you an idea of the application fees that the your local council will charge for an application, if you want the professional edge contact us for a quote.

How much does it cost to apply for a licence?

The cost of the application for a Premises licence depends on what is called the rateable value of the premises. You can find out the rateable value of the premises by checking the address on the Valuation Office Agency (V.O.A) website. Once you know this value you can find out how much the application will cost based on which fee band the venue falls into. These are the fees that will be paid to your local council for the application.

Premises Licence Fees
Non-Domestic Rateable Value	Less than £4,300	£4,301 to £33,000	£33,001 to £87,000	87,001 to £125,000	More than £125,001
New Application/ Variation	£100	£190	£315	£450	£635
Annual Fee	£70	£180	£295	£320	£350

The other various types of applications that you can make to the local council will cost the following.

Other Fees
Personal Licence Application	£37
Transfer Application	£23
Vary DPS Application	£23
Minor Variation Application	£89
Temporary Event Notice	£21