The PMA Team, Deputy Editor
Licensing minister James Purnell does not pull his punches on what lies ahead for licensees and local authorities. 'I'm fully expecting things to get worse before they get better, he says. There is 'a risk that many small businesses may go to the wall because they have failed to get a new licence on time, he adds.
There are just six weeks to go before the 6 August deadline for the fast-track renewal of licences. As yet, only 20% of the 180,000 licence-holders in the UK have sent in their forms. It is not hard to imagine the administrative chaos that will ensue when thousands upon thousands of application forms arrive at town halls in the coming weeks. The registration of door staff by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) was staggered over many months on a region-by-region basis. Nevertheless, the chaos at the SIA was considerable in the spring and only just started to abate in recent weeks.
Administratively, things are likely to be a good deal worse for the larger local authorities, which were expecting a much more steady stream of applications in the months leading up to 6 August. As anyone who has dealt with a local authority on the most straightforward of matters knows, the machinery moves exceedingly slow. The forthcoming avalanche of paperwork will have the same metaphorical effect as pouring treacle over the cogs and wheels. Licensees should expect the obvious: that little bit less help from overworked licensing departments; phone calls returned even less promptly than usual; delays and more delays.
But how local authorities cope in the next six weeks is, ultimately, a side issue. The vital issue is ensuring that your application is lodged. An application by 6 August ensures the preservation of grandfather rights. Failing that, hitting the Second Appointed Day deadline on 24 November ensures that you can serve alcohol. It has now got to the stage where the paperwork is unavoidable; it has to be done to ensure you protect your livelihood. On this vital matter, the buck stops with licensees. As Purnell says: 'I can't go around filling in everybody's form for them. If [someone's] not applied by the end of November, that is their responsibility. We can't say we haven't been warned.