Alcohol, entertainment and late night refreshment

Under the Licensing Act 2003, any individual or organisation involved in one or more of the following 'licensable activities' must be authorised by the local licensing authority. The licensable activities are:

• sale or supply of alcohol
• provision of regulated entertainment (including plays, films, sports, music and dancing)
• provision of facilities for entertainment
• sale of late night refreshment (hot food or drinks supplied between 11pm-5am).

Licensing Authorities (who are local Councils) are responsible for issuing licences to 'premises' at which any of the above activities are carried on. These licences may be permanent, or for one-off events. Individuals who work in licensed premises, authorising alcohol sales, must also be licensed by their local licensing authority.

Advice for residents and local businesses

This page gives advice for local residents and businesses on the range of powers available to them under the Licensing Act 2003, including the ability to comment on applications and request reviews of licences.

Application forms

Forms for every type of application under the Licensing Act 2003, including Premises Licences, Club Premises Certificates, Personal Licences and Temporary Event Notices.

Licensing policies

Each licensing authority is required to publish a statement of licensing policy document, which sets out the ways in which it will administer the Act locally, provides guidance on how it will usually determine contested applications, and gives information on its expectations of licence-holders.

Types of licences available

There are four types of licence available under the Licensing Act 2003: Premises Licences, Club Premises Certificates, Temporary Event Notices (TENs) and Personal Licences.

Current applications

This page gives details of the applications for grant, variation or review of Premises Licences and Club Premises Certificates, that are currently open for consultation.

Licensing objectives

The Licensing Act 2003 sets out four licensing objectives, and any decisions that we make must be based upon these objectives:

• prevention of crime and disorder
• public safety
• prevention of public nuisance
• protection of children from harm.

As a Licensing Authority we are required to carry out our licensing functions with:

• a view to promoting the licensing objectives
• regard to our statement of licensing policy
• regard to any guidance issued to local authorities by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.