GUIDANCE nOTES FOR THE TERMS USED
IN THE lICENSING ACT 2003

The following information is given believing it to be an accurate interpretation of the legislation however the Council will not accept liability where this is found not to be the case. For any further advice or guidance please contact the Licensing section or seek legal advice from a solicitor.

 

Premise Licence
Or

Premise Certificate

A premises licence is required by premises wishing to carry out a licensable activity.

A premise certificate is required by a registered club to authorise it to carry out a licensable activity.

These permissions will detail how the premises will operate. Conditions, mainly drawn from a national model pool of conditions, can only be placed upon the licence where a responsible Authority has directed that it is desirable to do so. The purpose of these conditions is to regulate the use of the premises for licensable activities in line with the licensing objectives.

A premises licence has effect until the licence is revoked or surrendered, but otherwise is not time limited unless the applicant requests a licence for a limited period.

 

Licensable Activities

• the sale by retail of alcohol
• the supply of alcohol by clubs
• the provision of regulated entertainment

(a) a performance of a play,
(b) an exhibition of a film
(c) an indoor sporting event
(d) a boxing or wrestling entertainment
(e) a performance of live music,
(f) any playing of recorded music
(g) a performance of dance,
(h) entertainment of a similar description to that falling within paragraph (e), (f) or (g),where the entertainment takes place in the presence of an audience.

• the provision of late night refreshment i.e. warm food between the hours of 11:00pm and 5.0a.m.

 

Designated Premise Supervisor

The designated premise Supervisor is normally a person who has day-to-day control of the running of premises where alcohol is sold, and must be a Personal Licence holder. The law only permits one D.P.S. per premise.

Registered clubs, (premises operating under a premise certificate ), do not require a designated premises supervisor as they don’t actually sell alcohol but supply it on demand.

 

Registered Club

A registered club is an organisation of people who have joined together for a particular social or political purpose, (such as the royal British Legion or a politically affiliated club). It is the people within the organisation that usually own the property in which they meet and any fixtures and fittings such as alcohol. A minimum of 24hrs has to elapse between application for membership and membership being granted. The bar is run by a bar committee of at least three members, although it is permissible for them to employ a bar man to dispense the alcohol. Since members already “own” the alcohol they cannot buy it but may pass money to replace the stock they have taken. Alcohol can only be supplied to members. In a registered club no one person derives financial benefit from the running of the club.

 

Licensing Policy

Every Licensing Authority has developed its own Policy following National Guidelines. This Policy has been arrived at by consulting locally with a number of people and interested parties to take into account local conditions. This Policy is readily available for every one to inspect. This and the national guidance are the guidelines the Licensing Authority will refer to when deciding upon when considering applications.

It has to be regularly reviewed and every three years undergo a further period of consultation.

 

Responsible Authority

The following list of authorities is what the Act describes as Responsible Authorities. These are the bodies all applicants for a licence/ certificate are obliged to inform, and who can pass comment upon the application, or call for a review of the licence:-

Enforcing Authority for Health and Safety; Either the Local Authority or H.S.E. dependant upon certain factors.
Enforcing Authority for pollution of the environment, the Local Authority.
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
Surrey Police
Local Planning Authority
Safer Runnymede
Authority for the protection of Children from Harm ( To be Decided )


Personal Licence Holder

Means a licence which-

(a) is granted by a licensing authority to an individual, and
(b) authorises that individual to supply alcohol, or authorise the supply of alcohol, in accordance with a premises licence.

A personal Licence is issued by the authority where the applicant is normally resident and lasts for ten years.

During the first six months from the first appointed date the Local Authority will, in most cases, grant a personal licence on production of proof of holding a licence from a magistrates court. After this date proof of passing a recognised qualification, and a standard C.R.B. check will be required.

 

First Appointed Date

This date is the 7th February 2005
This is the date on which applications for the new licences can begin to be made.

Personal Licence holders and Club Premises will have six months from this date in which to apply to transfer their "old" licence. After this period these applications will be deemed to be new applications.

 

Second Appointed Date

This is the date when the old Licensing regime finishes and the new licences begin. This date has yet to be set be the government.

 

Temporary events

These are by the title events of a temporary nature where licensable activities are to take place and less than 500 people will attend. The Act specifies the maximum period of time for a temporary event to be 96 hrs but the act doesn’t require this to be continuous, providing that in the application it can be shown that it is a continuing event. Thus for example a trade event where alcohol is to be sold and no more than 500 people a day are expected to attend could spread over 5 or 6 days of 15hrs a day.

10 working days notice to the Licensing Authority and the Police has to be given. The Police may object on Crime and Disorder grounds only, and the Authority on the number of occasions only. No conditions may be attached to a Temporary Event Notice.

BUT; a non personal licence holder can have no more than five such events per calendar year, and a personal licence holder is restricted to 50 occasions.

BUT; a premise is restricted to twelve events or 15 days per calendar year.

BUT; a Temporary Event Notice is not required for a garden fete or like event where a licensable activity takes place (except the sale of alcohol which does require permission ) or for Morris Dancing or dancing of a like kind.

 

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

a) Are the premises licensed for sale of alcohol?
And
b) The provision of musical entertainment?
And
c) Are the premises used primarily for supply of alcohol
And
d) Does it have a permitted capacity of no more than 200

If the answers to a-b-c-d is NO then live entertainment is NOT permitted and premises needs to seek a variation to licence to include entertainment

If the answers so far are YES then

e) Are the premises open for the supply of alcohol on the premises
And
f) Are being used for provision of musical entertainment
And
Is it between 8.0am and Midnight?
And
Are the premises being used for musical entertainment:

Which is i) the performance of un-amplified live music; or ii) facilities for enabling persons to take part in (i) above

And
The premises are not being used for any other type of regulated entertainment.

Then
Any conditions imposed on the premises licence ( except those referring to The Prevention of Crime, or Public Safety ), that relate to musical entertainment do not take effect.

UNLESS

The licence has been reviewed with a specific Condition included to say this exclusion does not apply.