Licensees in the lurch over licence applications

Licensees across the country who paid solicitors, consultants and agents to handle their applications are discovering they have been left in the lurch.

Three weeks after the deadline for converting existing licences, details are emerging that a number of applications placed with third parties were not delivered to councils before August 6.

Many licensees have now lost their grandfather rights and must apply for a personal licence from scratch - and pay for a National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders and a criminal records check.

The unfortunate publicans include a number of Union Pub Company (UPC) leaseholders, who have failed to receive personal and premises licences despite using a legal firm recommended by UPC.

Bill Campbell, a UPC leaseholder at the Railway Bell in Kidderminster, described the situation as "an absolute disgrace" after discovering that his personal licence application had not been delivered.

"I've been in the trade for 29 years, it's not right that I should have to do the new course. What happens if I fail?" he said. "The solicitors should not have left this to such a late stage. Why didn't they organise a cut-off date two weeks before the final deadline?"

Another UPC licensee from the Midlands, who preferred not to be named, said he was furious with the solicitor for making promises it couldn't keep. In the 10 days prior to August 6 he sent the legal firm 10 emails - none of which were returned - and left a number of messages on the phone.

"I'm trying to sell my lease and buy a freehold so it is particularly important that I can at least maintain my grandfather rights," he said.

Another licensee in the East Midlands said he had been assured by his solictor three times that his application for a personal licence would be delivered before the deadline, only to find that it was not.

Stephen Oliver, UPC managing director, told The Publican that that no licensee would be out of pocket as a result of the phantom applications.

"We're paying directly for all the courses and criminal record checks that need to be taken," he said. "And we are making an ex gratia payment of £100 to each licensee involved to cover any extra costs they might incur."

Mr Oliver said that UPC had launched an investigation into what had gone wrong. "We're putting loads of effort into rectifying this problem," he said. "And where there has been a problem we will try and get to the bottom of it."

Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations chief executive Tony Payne said he had heard of at least 50 licensees in a similar position - and suspected that was just the "tip of the iceberg".

"Any licensee who is concerned should ring up their local authority and ask if there is a record of their application or not," he said. "If not they've got to go on a course - and if they wait until October it will be too late. Ring up and check now."