Police Reform & Social Responsibility Act: Brace yourself for changes

24-Apr-2012 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2012 at 10:21 GMT

Related tags Patent Social responsibility

Kheng: Make sure you know what impact these raft of changes will have

Just as the Licensing Act 2003 seemed to have settled down, the Government has decided to shake things up again. Yesterday saw the first raft of changes to the Act come into effect via the Police Reform & Social Responsibility Act 2011.

So how will this first round of measures affect us? To help cashflow, most of us pay bills as late as we can. One of these, for most, has been the annual maintenance fee for your premises licence. Well, from 25 April we have only 21 days to settle the bill.

If we don’t, the licence could be suspended, forcing us to close. You need be aware of this, especially if your invoices for the annual fee are sent somewhere other than the pub. The licensing authority also became a responsible authority yesterday so it can now apply in its own right to review your licence or object to any variations.

How fair can that be? Imagine I disagree with something the licensing authority wants me to do. It then decides to review my licence, write the report for the sub-committee, set up the hearing and present the matter to its sub-committee (normally the sub-committee the licensing officer advises).
Judge, jury and executioner! Best keep on the good side of your licensing officer.

I am pleased about the extension of the period for a temporary event notice (TEN) though. I can now apply to open one of my pubs for seven days, 24 hours a day. The downside is I now also have to inform the environmental health officer, as well as police, and if either object I can have conditions added to my TEN. Another good point is we can now submit a limited number of late TENs within five days of the event.

With the voluntary closure (never understood why it is referred to as voluntary) for persistently selling alcohol to children now increased to up to two weeks from up to two days we are reminding all our staff of their duty not to serve under-18s and to continue to use Challenge 21. I would think where most accepted closure for two days, more will now look at a hearing rather than closing for two weeks. But it is a gamble as the maximum fine has doubled to £20,000.

Fun days ahead. Make sure you know what the changes are and how they may affect you.

Michael Kheng is director of the Kurnia Group