Fears of licensing chaos unfounded

Fears of a trade meltdown post-November 24 have been banished with councils reporting that almost 100 per cent of applications have been submitted.

Latest figures from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) confirm that 98 per cent of all licensed premises have now applied for licences.

A straw poll of local authorities conducted by The Publican has found the vast majority of pubs have applied and will be open for business. Councils' major concern is the lack of applications from late night takeaways.

The DCMS also claimed that reports of venues having to close down after November 24 were misleading because many councils have overestimated the number of premises that required licences.

Many councils are currently sifting through magistrates' licensing lists with a view to checking whether some premises still exist and need to apply.

Westminster City Council, the largest licensing authority in the country, is checking premises after it revealed it had not received 333 of its expected 3,600 applications.

Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations, said he was "hopeful" the predicted meltdown would be averted, but expressed concern at the number of licensees still struggling to get their personal licence.

"This could still be a problem," he said. "Special training courses are now being run for people who are having problems getting their personal licence."

Mark Hastings, communications director for the British Beer & Pub Association, confirmed that 100 per cent of its members had applied. He said: "We are concerned about the log jam that may have occurred with councils sending out licences. We need to see what the situation is in a week or two."

LACORS, the local authority co-ordinating body, said that it predicted less than 10 per cent of premises would still not have a licence by the Second Appointed Day.

Councils' comments​

• Birmingham City Council:​ Has processed applications for 2,432 premises - nearly 100 per cent.
• Camden Council:​ Has received 1,274 applications to convert existing licences. Forty premises still need a new licence.
• Newcastle City Council:​ A spokeswoman said she was confident the "majority" of pubs had applied. "We are more concerned about takeaways," she said.
• St Albans City & District Council:​ Confident most pubs have applied. Main concern is the lack of applications from hot food takeaways.
• Liverpool City Council:​ Over 90 per cent of applications from more than 1,500 premises have been received.
• Westminster City Council:​ Still waiting for 333 licence applications from premises. But a spokesman said some of these may not be operating any more.