Last-minute TENs plan dropped

Plans to allow pubs to get a last-minute temporary event notice (TEN) for "low-risk" activities appear to have been scrapped.

The previous government consulted on allowing police to hand out a TEN to a licensee after the normal 10-day cut-off point before an event.

But the plan attracted opposition and in April the then Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said the government would re-consider the plan.

Now it appears the proposal has formally been dropped by the new coalition.

A House of Lords debate last week on reforms to the Licensing Act did not include the measure.

However, more positively, a move to give grieving families an extra three weeks to transfer a licence following the death of a licence-holder looks set to become law.

Peers approved the idea of extending the deadline from seven to 28 days for families to get an interim authority notice or transfer the licence.

A lapse in the licence caused by "incapacity" or "insolvency" will also be subject to the new deadline.

A source close to the process said the change was now "awaiting sign off from the minister".

The move follows a long-running push for the deadline to be extended, after a story in The Publican ​highlighting the issue in April 2008​.

In its response to the consultation the British Beer & Pub Association said: "There have been well documented cases of the distress caused where licensees have died and relatives have struggled to cope with the seven day period as currently exists.

"There is no justification or reason that we can see for such a short timescale regarding this process.

"The current requirements place an unnecessary burden on licensees at a sensitive time".

Meanwhile another technicality will see police allowed at least two working days to object to a TEN, as opposed to the current deadline of 48 hours.

However this has raised fears this could lead to police lodging more objections to TENs.