Licensing Law

Chelmsford could be next to approve late-night levy

03-Jul-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Late-night pubs and bars in Chelmsford may have to begin paying a levy from November, after the council’s licensing and regulatory committee recommended introducing the fee.

Controversial 'free bar' Innsatiable applies for premises licence

26-Jun-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Licensees have hit out at Innsatiable, the controversial Surrey “furniture shop” that gives away beer, after its owner said he was applying for a premises licence.

8 tips on checking your new pub's premises licence

25-Jun-2014 By Poppleston Allen

In the thrill of taking over a pub or other licensed premises, you may be busy arranging for your accountant to check the books, finalising your lease or tenancy agreement, arranging for a surveyor to check the property and so on. With all these ducks...

Met Police forced to pay £30k in costs after licensing furore

24-Jun-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

The Metropolitan Police has been ordered to pay almost £30,000 in legal costs, after withdrawing its appeal of a licence review decision in which officers were accused of presenting “slanted” evidence.

Q&A: New pub food allergy requirements

19-Jun-2014 By James England

Whether or not you serve food in your pub, the balance between your culinary and administration skills are about to be tested further. New European legislation comes into force at the end of this year, affecting the way that operators make customers aware...

Nottingham set to go ahead with late-night levy

19-Jun-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Nottingham City Council said it is likely a late-night levy will be approved next month, despite the fact 74% of respondents to the consultation have objected to the plan.

Unlicensed 'free bar' Innsatiable forced to close

12-Jun-2014 By John Harrington

Innsatiable, the controversial Surrey “furniture shop” that gave away beer, has been closed for breaches of licensing laws.

Trade fears student pub crawl crackdown could encourage home drinking

05-Jun-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

A Government crackdown on student pub crawls could encourage home drinking and demonise responsible young drinkers, the pub trade has warned.

Wales to get licensing hours extension for World Cup

30-May-2014 By James Wallin

The Home Office has bowed to pressure to allow Welsh pubs to open later to screen England’s World Cup matches.

Blackpool launches night-time economy group as EMRO alternative

30-May-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Blackpool Council has formed a night-time economy working group to help tackle problems associated with excessive drinking in the town.

FSA publishes guide to new allergen rules

29-May-2014 By John Harrington

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published draft guidance to help small and medium-sized food businesses - including pubs, hotels, bars and restaurants - comply with new allergen laws.

ACPO licensing chair urges police to work with pubs

28-May-2014 By James Wallin

The police should work with publicans to resolve issues rather than seeking to close down venues, a senior licencing official has said.

Gatwick police and publicans partner to tackle drunkenness at airport

19-May-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Alcohol-related incidents before and during flights from Gatwick have “reduced considerably” since police and publicans have partnered to tighten controls on passengers drinking before flights.

Below-cost alcohol ban to be rolled out this month

15-May-2014 By James Wallin

A ban on selling alcohol below the cost of duty plus VAT is expected to come into force by the end of May.

Fall in number of councils considering an EMRO

07-May-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

The number of licensing authorities in England and Wales considering the introduction of an early morning restriction order (EMRO) has fallen sharply, new research from Poppleston Allen has revealed.

4 key licensing points for World Cup 2014

07-May-2014 By Poppleston Allen

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil kicks-off on 12 June and the tournament is a great opportunity for pubs to boost business. Here are 4 key points operators need to know about the extension of licensing hours for England matches.

Scottish bar hit with £7,000 fine after Sky Sports copyright breach

30-Apr-2014 By Mike Berry

A Scottish bar has been fined a total of £7,000 for showing Premier League football without the correct commercial viewing agreement.

City of London licensing committee recommends late-night levy

28-Apr-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

The City of London Corporation’s licensing committee has unanimously agreed to introduce a late-night levy, after the authority consulted on the fee for the second time in five months.

Helpful hints on personal licences

25-Apr-2014 By Poppleston Allen

Now that we have some certainty over the future of personal licences, in that they are to remain with us for the foreseeable future, it is worth reiterating the legal requirements associated with the possession of such a licence.

West Midlands licensees admit illegal screenings of Sky Sports

25-Apr-2014 By James Wallin

Two West Midlands licensees have been fined for illegally showing Sky Sports football matches.

Milton Keynes facing second late-night levy proposal

24-Apr-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

Milton Keynes could be the first town in the UK to face a second late-night levy proposal, after the first was narrowly rejected by its licensing committee last October.

Fall in number of councils considering a Late-Night Levy

22-Apr-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

The number of licensing authorities in England and Wales considering the introduction a late-night levy has fallen sharply, an annual survey by Poppleston Allen has found.

Race is on for advice about betting in pubs

17-Apr-2014 By Nick Arron

We regularly receive queries from confused publicans regarding betting in pubs, particularly at this time of the year with the end of the jump season fast approaching.

Late-night levy consultation for Southampton

16-Apr-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

Southampton City Council has voted to consult residents on the prospect of a late-night levy.

Sky, Premier League and FACT explain the full story behind football screening prosecutions

16-Apr-2014

Recent cases have seen pubs fined as much as £65,000 for illegally screening football games. But many publicans say they are still confused about why these actions are being taken and exactly what the legal situation is. Mike Berry and James Wallin spoke...

Trade bodies urge Government not to introduce 'complex and unfair' changes to licence fees

10-Apr-2014 By Helen Gilbert

Trade bodies have warned that the Government's proposed changes to licence fees could result in ‘increased costs and complexity for both operators and local authorities’.

Police slated for using 'faulty' evidence in licence reviews

10-Apr-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Police are consistently presenting “faulty” evidence during licence reviews and “show no sign of stopping”, industry lawyers and consultants have warned

The cost of Premier League copyright violation

08-Apr-2014 By Poppleston Allen

There is a saying that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but if you are one of those premises showing Premier League matches on a Saturday afternoon using a satellite device not provided by Sky or BT you might be inclined to disagree.

Could your licence fees increase dramatically?

31-Mar-2014 By Michael Kheng

The Home Office is consulting on licence fees which see a cap for local authorities to charge coming into effect. Michael Kheng of licensing consultants Kurnia attended a consultation event on the proposed changes in London last week. In this article,...

Legal guide: The Dos and Don'ts of staff disciplinary and dismissal procedures

28-Mar-2014

For a small business owner, being an employer and managing a team of staff can be thoroughly rewarding, but the job is not without its troubles, particularly when it comes to the difficult task of disciplining or dismissing a member of staff. Here are...

How to deal with a licence review

28-Mar-2014 By Poppleston Allen

The arrival of an application to review your premises licence is almost certainly the most stressful time that you will face as a premises licence holder or designated premises supervisor (DPS). Even well-run premises can be reviewed but it is not necessarily...

Contract vigilance is order of the day

28-Mar-2014 By Simon Clarke

All tenants need to make sure they read and re-read their contracts, to ensure their company is doing right by them, says Simon Clarke.

Norman Baker: We listened to the pub industry on personal licences

24-Mar-2014 By Norman Baker

Friendly local pubs and breweries are key community assets and play an important role in people’s lives. We mustn’t lose sight of the many positive contributions made by the alcohol industry.

Government scraps planned changes to personal licences

24-Mar-2014 By James Wallin

The Government has announced it will not go ahead with controversial plans to scrap personal licences.

Licensee ordered to pay more than £1,500 for refusing to return Sky viewing card

20-Mar-2014 By James Wallin

A licensee in Wigan has become the latest to be taken to court for showing Sky Sports illegally.

Premier League and Sky pursuing unauthorised satellite suppliers

18-Mar-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

The Premier League and Sky have insisted that they are pursuing suppliers of unauthorised satellite systems after licensees criticised them for targeting pubs instead of rogue vendors.

Blackpool Council agrees to EMRO rejection

13-Mar-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Blackpool Council has endorsed the licensing committee’s recommendation to reject an early morning restriction order (EMRO), which would have banned the sale of alcohol after 3am within the town centre.

Pub closure increase feared if Government introduces proposed licence fee hike

12-Mar-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

An increasing number of pubs could be forced to close if the Home Office’s proposal for locally-set licence fees is implemented, the Manchester Pub & Club Network has warned.

Lambeth rejects EMRO after claiming the measure 'needs reviewing'

06-Mar-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Lambeth Council has rejected plans for an early morning restriction order, stating that the legislation needs re-examining to see if it is suitable for solving the problem of late-night nuisance from bars and clubs.

Councils show 'little appetite' for locally-set licence fees

06-Mar-2014 By John Harrington

There seems little appetite from local authorities for the power to set licensing fees locally “with all the administration and probable hassle this would bring”, according to views expressed at the first of four dedicated Home Office-hosted roadshows.

Trade must 'rally together' to fight late-night levies, says licensing lawyer

05-Mar-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Apathy among the trade towards late-night levies is a big concern and a significant factor in local authorities bringing in the tax, according to a leading licensing lawyer.

Islington late-night levy fuels fears for best-practice schemes

03-Mar-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Islington Council’s decision to introduce a late-night levy (LNL) has provoked fears that it will put existing local best-practice schemes in jeopardy.

Islington takes a step closer to introducing late-night levy

26-Feb-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

Islington Council appears a step closer to implementing a late-night levy (LNL) at tomorrow night’s (27th February) decisive public meeting, after it emerged that its licensing committee had already approved the proposals.

East London licensee fined for illegal Sky pub broadcasts

21-Feb-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

An east London licensee has been fined more than £12,000 by Thames Magistrates Court after being convicted for showing Sky Sports programmes illegally in her premises.

Legal Q&A: Insurance for pubs

19-Feb-2014

For any pub or licensed trade premises, insurance is essential. Some forms of insurance are compulsory for licensees and others are optional, though all help in providing financial protection against a wealth of situations. Here are some answers to a...

Trade bodies' concern over proposed Government licence fees hike

19-Feb-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

Industry bodies fear pubs could face huge hikes in their licence fees after the Home Office launched a public consultation on a move from centrally-set to locally-set fees.

Blackpool's EMRO rejection could 'spell the end' of the measure, says licensing law firm

13-Feb-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Blackpool Council licensing committee’s rejection of an early morning restriction order (EMRO) could “spell the end of the EMRO” – that’s according to a leading licensing law firm.

Licence fee hike threat as Home Office begins consultation

13-Feb-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

The Home Office has opened a public consultation on a move from centrally-set to locally-set licence fees.

Trade welcomes Blackpool EMRO rejection

10-Feb-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Leading trade figures have welcomed Blackpool Council’s licensing committee’s rejection of an early morning restriction order (EMRO), which would have banned the sale of alcohol in licensed premises in the town from 3am to 6am.

Police use 'dodgy evidence' in LNL and EMRO cases, say leading lawyers

06-Feb-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Police are consistently presenting “dodgy evidence” during licensing hearings on late-night levies (LNL) and early morning restriction orders (EMROs), leading licensing lawyers have claimed.