Council payout over licence revocation

By Lesley Foottit

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Law

V2: can now re-open
V2: can now re-open
A local authority has been ordered to pay record costs of almost £25,000 after wrongly revoking the licence of a Welsh nightclub. The premises...

A local authority has been ordered to pay record costs of almost £25,000 after wrongly revoking the licence of a Welsh nightclub.

The premises licence of V2 Nightclub in Ruthin was revoked on 14 July by Denbighshire County Council for "failing to adhere to strict licensing laws" following an incident the previous month.

District Judge Shaw found that the council's decision to revoke the licence was wrong and that the police went in "too hard and too quickly" on three occasions, seeking revocation of the licence held by venue owner Birch House Business Centre.

Chester based law firm Hillyer McKeown and licensing specialist barrister Sarah Clover claimed that "the full picture" had not been put before the committee prior to the decision to revoke the licence.

It had repeatedly asked for disclosure of the police incident logs from April 2010, which were only received three days before the start of the appeal.

"I find that the strength of the evidence was misrepresented to the licensing committee and thereafter not properly scrutinised by the Respondent Council," said Judge Shaw.

Clover added: "Disclosure of incident records by the police is a common issue in licensing cases. The decision of District Judge Shaw sends out a very strong message, which is welcomed."

A council spokesman said: "Two appeals were lodged against Denbighshire's licensing sub-committee decisions to revoke the licence of V2 nightclub in Ruthin.

"These appeals were allowed on 2 November 2010, with immediate effect. Conditions were added to the licence to allow the premises to trade. In light of the reversal of the judgment, Denbighshire County Council will continue to work with the owners of the nightclub."

Related topics Licensing law

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