Alcohol Licensing - More Information Do I need an alcohol licence? If you plan to supply or sell alcohol to the public, you need a licence. Businesses that will need alcohol licences include: Pubs and bars Nightclubs Hotels Theatres Cinemas Supermarkets Convenience stores and off-licences Takeaways Late-night cafes and restaurants Village and community halls. What licences do you need to sell or supply alcohol? To offer licensable activities to the public, including the sale or supply of alcohol, you need a premises licence. If you have a premises licence to sell alcohol, at least one person in the business will also need to hold a personal licence. This will be the person named in the premises licence as the designated premises supervisor (DPS). People who could hold a personal licence include bar staff or event managers. Who can hold a personal licence? If you’re over the age of 18, you can apply for a personal licence. You’re likely to be accepted for a personal licence, providing: You haven’t forfeited a personal licence in the last five years You have an accredited licensing qualification You haven’t been convicted of any relevant or foreign offence. How can we help? We’re able to help you with all areas of alcohol licensing, including: Licensing applications for new premises Varying existing premises licences Pavement licence applications Applications for one-off events Defending closure orders Advising on regulatory requirements Working on licence reviews Licensing breaches, revocations and appeals. Contact us today for a free consultation on how we can help you. Why choose Irwin Mitchell? We are a team of licensing experts who’ve helped countless businesses with their alcohol licence applications. We have an in-depth knowledge of the licensing sector and make sure we stay up to date with ever-changing regulations. We can work with you to make sure you have the correct licences in place for your business. Some of our lawyers have been working in the licensing sector for more than 30 years. We are highly experienced in providing a comprehensive service in the legal areas of alcohol licensing. We have worked with various licensing authorities over the years and the benefit of our experience means we can anticipate the likely approach of these authorities. This means we can anticipate any potential issues and deal with them, as far as possible, before they arise, so that we can achieve the best possible outcome for you. Examples of our current and previous work include: Obtaining a new premises licence for a client who operates in a cumulative impact zone. Obtaining a premises licence for a pop-up bar on Worthing seafront. Acting for a hotel group in securing a variation to a premises licence in altering the capacity and operating hours of a rooftop terrace area. Acting for a West London bar subject to a licence review following a murder on its premises. We negotiated minor changes to the licence conditions and ensured the licence wasn’t revoked or suspended. Acting for companies and individuals accused of underage alcohol sales by putting forward due diligence defences. Acting for an operator of a convenience store who faced 23 charges under the Licensing Act 2003. The shopkeeper was acquitted of all charges.
