Alcohol and entertainment

The Licensing Act 2003 came into effect in November 2005. It established a single system for licensing premises which are used for the sale or supply of alcohol, providing regulated entertainment or late night refreshment.

Licensable activities are:

• To sell alcohol by retail
• If you are a qualifying club, to supply alcohol to a club member, or to sell alcohol to a guest of a club member
• To provide regulated entertainment
• To sell late night refreshment - selling hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am for consumption on or off the premises, (including take-aways and mobile caterers) unless you are a hotel, staff canteen or campsite.

These licensable activities may only be carried on under, and in accordance with, one of the following:

• Premises Licence
• Club Premises Certificate
• Temporary Event Notice

The Act itself sets out key licensing objectives that must be promoted by AVDC as the licensing authority, in carrying out its duties under the licensing system. The licensing objectives are:

• The prevention of crime and disorder
• Public safety
• The prevention of public nuisance; and
• The protection of children from harm.

We work together with licence holders and other agencies to promote these objectives.

Every premises where alcohol is supplied under the authority of a premises licence requires a Designated Premises Supervisor and such individuals must have a Personal Licence.

Statement of Licensing Policy
We have prepared a Licensing Policy which must be reviewed every three years or sooner if necessary. The purpose of the policy is to set out the approach that the licensing authority intends to take when determining applications and carrying out its duties with regard to regulation and enforcement. The policy does not seek to explain the various application processes, however separate guidance and advice on making an application or requesting a review of a licence is available from the licensing authority on request. Applicants and members of the public are advised to contact Licensing in the event of any enquiry for appropriate advice. You can download the policy below.

Enforcement
Throughout the year, officers of the licensing authority will carry out risk based and unannounced inspections of all licensed premises to ensure conditions of licence and safe standards are being maintained. Should you have a concern about a licensed premises, please contact Licensing by telephone, in writing or by email.

Further Information
Further information about the Licensing Act 2003 and the licensed trade can be found on the following websites shown below.

Downloads:

File name	Summary	File size / Download time	File Format
Adobe Acrobat Reader is available FREE of charge. You can download it directly from Adobe's website by clicking the link to the right. Once on Adobe's website, follow the instructions on screen to install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Draft 2010 LA2003 Licensing Policy Statement		250KB 56Kbps Modem: Less than 1 Minute Broadband : Less than 1 Minute