Licensing Law

Last orders at the ‘necessary’ saloon

17-Apr-2012 By Jonathan Smith

Get your licence out.  Have a read, look at the conditions. Are there any you would rather remove? Perhaps those niggling ones that no-one really knows how they came to be there or more onerous conditions — for example, last entry times or requirements...

Closure notices: Don't ignore the warnings

13-Apr-2012 By Jonathan Smith

The recent High Court decision in favour of the Bank in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, confirmed what many licensing lawyers (including some of those acting for the police) had been saying for some time — that closure notices issued under Section 19 of the...

Landlords warned over possibility of licence inspections by police community support officers

12-Apr-2012

Licensees have been told to be on alert for more licence inspections at their pubs if a proposal in the Government’s recently published Alcohol Strategy becomes law.

Woking Borough Council accused of 'jumping the gun' with late-night levy consultation

12-Apr-2012 By Adam Pescod

A council in Surrey, which issued its own consultation on the controversial late-night levy (LNL), has come under fire for potentially “acting outside the law”.

Licensing study: the conclusions

12-Apr-2012 By Jonathan Smith

There were some interesting conclusions from Poppleston Allen’s late-night licensing survey, which you may have seen published recently. Between August and November 2011 we contacted, by telephone, 99% of all the licensing authorities in England and Wales...

Skegness pubs lodge formal complaint after police forced them to close early over BST

12-Apr-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Two Skegness licensees have lodged a formal complaint with local police after being forced to close early when British Summer Time (BST) commenced at 1am on Sunday 25 March.

Budweiser radio advert banned for linking alcohol consumption to sexual success

11-Apr-2012 By Adam Pescod

A radio advert for Budweiser has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for linking the consumption of alcohol to sexual success.

Council leaders call for more powers over Late Night Levy

10-Apr-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on the Government to ensure that the Late Night Levy for clubs and bars adequately compensates councils for keeping nightlife hotspots clean and safe.

Alcohol Strategy: More intervention is nigh

05-Apr-2012 By Jonathan Smith

If you thought the Police Reform & Social Responsibility Act (PRSR) was the be-all and end-all of Government intervention in licensing this year, think again.  A close reading of the recently published Alcohol Strategy (with a foreword by the PM,...

Arun hosts may be spared late-night levy

04-Apr-2012 By Adam Pescod

Pubs in an area of West Sussex may not have to pay the controversial late-night levy as local councillors believe “it would not be very conducive to business” in the region.

Home Office and police pay for closure notice error

29-Mar-2012 By Gurjit Degun

The Government has admitted it was wrong to advise police that they could close premises immediately for minor breaches of conditions and threaten licensees with arrest if they did not comply.

Police could spend levy on ‘paper clips’

22-Mar-2012 By Adam Pescod

Police forces could reap the rewards of the cash raised by the late-night levy (LNL), but choose not to spend it on policing the late-night economy, a leading licensing lawyer warned last week.

Licensed Trade Charity refocuses direct services

20-Mar-2012 By Rob Willock

An ageing population, difficult labour market and Government funding cuts have contributed to a doubling in demand for the services of the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) in the past six years.

Licensees urged to respond on levy and EMROs

16-Mar-2012 By Adam Pescod

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) is urging licensees to respond to the consultation on the late-night levy (LNL) and Early Morning Restriction Orders (EMRO), which closes on 10 April.

Law firm offers free licensing advice to Herefordshire publicans

13-Mar-2012 By Adam Pescod

A legal firm is offering free advice to help support pub landlords following a recent police operation in pubs and clubs across Herefordshire.

Consequences of the Murphy case

12-Mar-2012 By Peter Coulson

As I commented last week, the decision in the Karen Murphy TV football case was inevitable, given the rulings handed down by the European Court.

Range of licensing reforms expected for April

08-Mar-2012 By Adam Pescod

The Government has confirmed the licensing measures that will be brought into force next month as part of the Police Reform & Social Responsibility Act, which was passed last summer.

Night-time legacy

05-Mar-2012 By Peter Coulson

Increasingly I get the feeling that the late-night levy, like alcohol disorder zones, is a non-starter. Not because the trade does not like it (why should they?) but because it does not benefit anyone involved in its collection or administration.

Blackpool minimum pricing scheme is 'responsible'

29-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

A Blackpool licensee has defended the town’s minimum-pricing scheme as a “responsible way of selling alcohol” amid further warnings that it is illegal.

Murphy case: Copyright issue left open

28-Feb-2012 By MIchelle Perrett

Licensees showing Premier League football games without copyright material “would appear” to not be liable for prosecution, claims the PMA’s legal editor Peter Coulson.

Karen Murphy: "fantastic relief" to win Premier League case

24-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod at the High Court in London

Licensee Karen Murphy said it is a “fantastic relief” to win her case against the Premier League.

Pub footy: Kitchin-sink drama goes on

20-Feb-2012 By Peter Coulson

It is not surprising that initial reactions in the trade to the latest round of the satellite TV football arguments appear rather confused (the PMA’s front page last week)

Campbell: '24-hour licensing was wrong'

20-Feb-2012

Tony Blair's former spin doctor has urged David Cameron to reverse later pub openings which were introduced by the Labour Government under the Licensing Act in 2005.

Euroview suspend services after pub footy ruling

16-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

A major supplier of foreign satellite decoder cards and set-top boxes has suspended operations to “make changes to its service” following a recent High Court ruling on pub football broadcasts.

Simmonds: 'Late night levy threatens partnerships'

16-Feb-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The late-night levy poses a threat to greater partnership in the late-night economy, British Beer & Pub Association boss Brigid Simmonds told last week’s National Pubwatch conference.

Pubs urged not to buy TV cards after ruling

09-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

Licensees have been warned not to buy European satellite TV decoder cards until a definitive ruling on copyright has been made.

Lincolnshire Police issue warning over fake alcohol

30-Jan-2012 By Adam Pescod

Lincolnshire Police have warned licensees across the area about the sale of counterfeit alcohol at their premises following a string of recent licence reviews related to the issue.

Late-night levy ‘could cost £25m’

26-Jan-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The introduction of the late-night levy (LNL) could cost the industry as much as £25m a year, according to a Home Office consultation launched last week.

Operator wins licence review case over CCTV dispute

24-Jan-2012

An operator has won his case against a licence review after refusing to hand over CCTV footage from his pub to police.

Little enthusiasm for the late-night levy

19-Jan-2012 By John Harrington

One in 10 local authorities expects to implement the controversial late-night levy, while roughly half that proportion expect to place new curbs on late opening via early morning restriction orders (EMROs).

Consultation on late-night levy and EMROs launched

18-Jan-2012 By Adam Pescod

The Home Office has issued a consultation on the implementation of the late-night levy and Early Morning Restriction Orders (EMROs).

Sky issues copyright warning to licensees

12-Jan-2012 By Adam Pescod

Sky has sent a letter to non-subscribing licensees warning them the use of European decoder cards to air live Premier League football in their pubs may fall foul of copyright laws.

SIA cuts licence fees

09-Dec-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is reducing its charges to individuals and businesses from next month as part of its commitment to driving down costs.

Ban on below cost sales due for April 2012

08-Nov-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The Government is to introduce a ban on sale of ‘below cost’ alcohol in England and Wales on 6 April 2012.

Lava Ignite's licence suspended over student death

20-Oct-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Nightclub operator Luminar’s Lava & Ignite site in Northampton town centre has had its license suspended after a student was crushed to death yesterday morning at the venue.

ECJ ruling leaves future open

13-Oct-2011 By Peter Coulson

I am put in mind of that horsey scrum at the beginning of the Grand National, when everyone is, in fact, jockeying for position before the tape goes up. Spotting your own horse in the chaos is extremely difficult, and he may have fallen down at the first...

ECJ Judgment: The case, and the implications

13-Oct-2011

The European Court of Justice’s (ECJ’s) judgement rocked football last week, when it ruled in favour of Karen Murphy in a long-running case against the Premier League for screening football matches via a Greek decoder system.

Murphy "overwhelmed" after winning case against Premier League

13-Oct-2011 By Adam Pescod

Karen Murphy has been left “overwhelmed” by the congratulatory messages she received from all parts of the globe following her landmark victory over the Premier League last week.

New licensing system unveiled for SIA

12-Oct-2011 By Tony Halstead

A new licensing system for businesses and individuals is set to form the backbone of a new regulatory body to replace the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

TV Licence warning for Rugby World Cup

07-Oct-2011 By Adam Pescod

Licensees have been reminded to apply for a TV Licence if they want to show the remainder of the Rugby World Cup in their pubs.

Trade bodies in late night levy talks

07-Oct-2011 By Michelle Perrett

Pub trade bodies are meeting with Home Office officials and local authorities to discuss the implementation of the late-night levy (LNL) and early-morning restriction orders (EMROs).

Has The Final Whistle Blown for Sky?

05-Oct-2011 By Mark Daniels

I was on my way to a meeting yesterday when the news came over the car stereo that Karen Murphy had been successful in her legal battle with the Premier League over using a foreign satellite to show her customers football matches, and I almost crashed...

'Courts unlikely to stop use of European decoder cards in pubs'

05-Oct-2011 By Michelle Perrett

A leading competition lawyer claims it is unlikely the UK courts will stop the use of European decoder cards being used in pubs.

Premier League: pub foreign satellite broadcasts still illegal

05-Oct-2011 By Ewan Turney

The Premier League believes that the screening of football matches in pubs via foreign satellite systems is still illegal because the broadcasts contain some copyrighted material — such as the Premier League logo and anthem — which require its authorisation...

Foreign satellites: trade bodies welcome ruling but urge caution

04-Oct-2011

Pubs have been issued with a stark warning over the use foreign satellite decoders in the wake of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling today.

Karen Murphy wins European case against Premier League

04-Oct-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled against the Premier League stating that pubs can show football matches via foreign (European) television decoders.

Brighton Council seeks VAT rise for off-licence sales

30-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

Brighton & Hove City Council is the first local authority to call for the Government to set differential rates of VAT for the on and off-trades to help combat the cheap booze fuelling binge drinking.

Late night levy and EMROs 'unlikely' to be used

28-Sep-2011 By Adam Pescod

Early-morning restriction orders (EMROs) and the late-night levy (LNL) are unlikely to be put into practice because licensing authorities are simply “not excited” by them, according to licensing specialists.

Licensees go for gold

16-Sep-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Despite the ticket-sales disappointment felt by many, Britain is excitedly gearing up for its historic hosting of the Olympics next summer.

Off licences: our common enemy?

14-Sep-2011 By Phil Mellows

Grocock and Shenker. It doesn’t sound nice, but it’s true. The respective chief executives of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and Alcohol Concern have chummed up.