Personal Licences

Personal licence renewals abolished from 1 April

27-Mar-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Publicans with personal licences expiring on or after 1 April 2015 will not need to apply for renewal, the Home Office has confirmed.

Lawyer warns publicans over personal licence renewal deadline

17-Dec-2014 By Ellie Bothwell and Helen Gilbert

A leading licensing lawyer has urged English and Welsh publicans to act swiftly in renewing their personal licences, following new figures that show thousands of Scottish licences are set to be revoked after holders failed to meet Government deadlines.

Home Office updates trade on personal licence renewals

13-Nov-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Publicans with personal licences that expire early next year will need to complete an application form to renew their licence, the Home Office has confirmed.

Penalised for being top of the class

04-Sep-2014 By Mike Berry

When was the last time you were penalised for being at the top of the class? Well, that is exactly what appears to be in store for licensees who obtained their personal licences in the early months of 2005, when licence reform in England and Wales was...

Government scraps planned changes to personal licences

24-Mar-2014 By James Wallin

The Government has announced it will not go ahead with controversial plans to scrap personal licences.

Norman Baker: We listened to the pub industry on personal licences

24-Mar-2014 By Norman Baker

Friendly local pubs and breweries are key community assets and play an important role in people’s lives. We mustn’t lose sight of the many positive contributions made by the alcohol industry.

Home Office stats show personal licences increase

15-Nov-2013 By John Harrington

A total of 34,300 new personal licences were issued in England and Wales the year to 31 March 2013, as the Government examines plans to abandon the system, new Home Office data shows.

Industry unites against personal licence abolition plan

06-Nov-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Industry groups, including the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) and Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), have lobbied the Government to retain personal licences in a joint letter to crime prevention...

Abolishing personal licences is not the sort of help we need from government

18-Sep-2013 By Rob Willock

The Home Office consultation on the abolition of personal licences came out of the blue rather. While it was mooted in the alcohol strategy, it has nevertheless caught the industry by surprise and left some of us cynically wondering about the motives...

Government proposes to abolish personal licences

12-Sep-2013 By Gurjit Degun

The pub trade could see the end of personal licences as the Government has launched a consultation asking whether such licences should be abolished.

Thousands yet to apply for new licences in Scotland

18-Jun-2009 By Matt Eley Matt

Thousands of Scottish publicans have yet to apply for new personal licences, according to the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA). The trade...

Damned lies — and statistics

07-Nov-2008 By Peter Coulson

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport has totally lost the plot, says MA legal guru Peter Coulson.

Personal licensing: a fit and proper route to success?

19-Sep-2008 By Peter Coulson

News that the Scottish Justice minister Kenny MacAskill wants to bring back the "fit and proper" test for personal licences under the new Scottish...

Central licensing does not work well

13-Mar-2008

It is interesting to note that the Security Industry Authority appears to be getting itself in a pickle again over licence renewals, in spite of the...

NALHM to fight against loss of personal licences

16-Jun-2006 By John Harrington

A pub managers' union is promising legal backing to members who face losing their personal licences due to unfair treatment by police and councils....

Spirit races clock to get licences for 560 staff

22-Sep-2005

by The PMA Team Managed operator Spirit Group is battling against time to get personal licences for 560 staff, the Morning Advertiser has learnt....