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An end to personal licences?

Personal licences for serving alcohol could soon be a thing of the past as the Government consults on plans to abolish them.

What is happening to personal licences?

The Minister for Crime Prevention Jeremy Browne has announced that the Government has launched a consultation process asking the licensed trade and other interested parties whether the system of personal licences should be abolished.

The Minister claimed that such a move could save businesses around £10m a year.

How does the current system work?

The current system requires all alcohol sales to be made or authorised by a personal licence holder.

At the same time, the Designated Premises Supervisor in relation to licensed premises must hold a personal licence.

Why does the Government want to change this?

Ministers worry that the current system does not take into account local conditions, is not sufficiently targeted at real problem areas and may not be the most effective way to ensure that alcohol is sold responsibly and that alcohol-related crime and disorder is properly tackled.

In addition, since it is targeted at all premises, it incurs significant costs particularly for smaller operators, in terms of training, application fees and criminal records checks.

What will replace personal licences?

The Government wants to see the system replaced by giving licensing authorities greater powers to impose relevant conditions on premises licences where appropriate.

What’s been the reaction to the proposals?

The British Beer and Pub Association has come out in favour of the idea, arguing that it will “free up” responsible pub businesses and reduce costs.

However, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers is less enthusiastic. While it agrees that the current system is not perfect and the red tape involved can be reduced, it believes that personal licences have improved training and knowledge levels of thousands of workers in the licensed retail trade and that this is something which should not be jeopardised.

What happens next?

The consultation process ends on November 7. The Government will then assess the responses and decide whether to proceed with the plan to scrap personal licences.

How can Ward Hadaway help?

For further information on the current system of personal licences and the potential effects of their demise, please get in touch.

Please note that this briefing is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.

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