In July 2003 the Government passed the Licensing Act, which reformed the country's licensing laws, by effectively transferring responsibility for liquor licensing from the Magistrates Court to Local Authorities.
The Act also combined liquor licensing, entertainments licensing and late night café licensing, putting it all on a common footing and under the responsibility of the District Council. These changes came into force on 24 November 2005. The changes relate to everyone who is concerned with:
- Pubs and night-clubs
- Off-licences
- Hotels, guest houses and other places that serve alcohol
- Businesses offering hot food between 11.00 p.m. and 5.00 a.m.
- Private members' clubs and social clubs
- Theatres and cinemas
- Indoor sporting events
- Organisers of occasional entertainments
The Licensing Act 2003 changed the previous laws about the type of licences needed to provide any of the above facilities. Under this new system:
The Council and not the court now deal with all of the licences listed above.
This is only a brief guide to the main changes. Further information is available from the Council's Licensing Team.
The Act requires the Council to adopt and publish a Statement of Licensing Policy. Please follow this link to the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy.
The Council have issued a number of guidance documents regarding the Act and these include the following:
From time to time the Council issue newsletters regarding the new licensing requirements. The following newsletters are currently available:
You may also wish to read the guidance issued by the Government in respect of the Licensing Act which can be found at www.culture.gov.uk.
