Sort out licence fees fiasco say trade leaders
Trade leaders are to urge the head of the panel that is looking at licence fees to sort out the fiasco surrounding billing dates for annual fees.
Licensees face a "postcode lottery" over when they have to pay premises licence fees because confusing signals from Government have left councils divided on when to demand payment.
The guidance notes to the Licensing Act say fees should be paid on the anniversary of the licence's approval date. The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), however, has said it is "working towards" a single payment date.
Representatives of the Nat-ional Parliamentary Committee of Licensed Victuallers Associa-tions (NPC), the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and the BII (British Institute of Inn-keeping) are to hold meetings with Sir Les Elton, chairman of the Licensing Fees Review Panel, on Tuesday.
NPC chairman Bernard Brindley, who will raise the issue of billing dates with Elton, said it was ridiculous that licensees were being sent bills before the Licensing Fees Review Panel had published its full report, which is not due out until November.
"I'm very much against having to pay the fees before the anniversary of the Second Appointed Day (24 November, when the Licensing Act went live)," said Brindley, who is licensee of the White Lion in Pailton, Warwickshire.
"I can't see how they (local councils) can justify asking for fees to be paid this year before the panel has reported back. This is one issue that we will take up with Sir Les."
Brindley said his council, Rugby Borough Council, was sending bills out now but would not be enforcing payments before 24 November.
The BBPA and BII declined to comment on the meeting with Elton.
Meanwhile, further evidence that councils are split over billing dates emerged this week after the MA discovered that local authorities at three counties in south-west England all have different policies.
Councils in Cornwall are asking for payment on 24 November, while those in Somerset are billing licensees on the anniversary of the licence being accepted. In Devon, around half of the councils are following Cornwall while the rest are adopting Somerset's policy.
