Legal & Licensing

Boris backs borough booze ban

The London Borough of Croydon is following the lead of Scotland in introducing a ban on sales of alcohol to under-21s.

Published: 17th Jul 2008

Retailer fined in OFT tobacco probe

Thresher parent company First Quench Retailing has been fined by the OFT after an investigation into price fixing on tobacco.

Published: 14th Jul 2008

Some day my prints will come

Published: 29th Jun 2007

The Licensing Act 2003: Introduction

The Licensing Act 2003, when implemented in 2005, brought the first major overhaul of our licensing system for well over 40 years and the first change in responsibility for well over a century.

Published: 11th Jun 2007

The Licensing Act 2003: How the new system works

With the old system, you needed a different type of licence depending on what type of premises you operated. The justices granted an off-licence to premises where no sales were made for consumption on those premises, and it is an offence to allow..

Published: 10th Jun 2007

The Licensing Act 2003: The new licensing authority

Control of the new licensing system is in the hands of local councils in England and Wales. The Licensing Act 2003 requires them to set up a licensing committee of between 10 and 15 council members (councillors) to whom they delegate their licensing..

Published: 9th Jun 2007

The Licensing Act 2003: Licensing policy

Under the terms of the Licensing Act 2003, each local authority is required to produce and publish a licensing policy. This is vital to the new licensing system.

Published: 8th Jun 2007

The Licensing Act 2003: New licences

From the point of view of the off-licensed trade, a new licensing system may seem an unnecessary complication. Most off-licence holders spend one dull morning in their local magistrates’ court waiting to make a brief and nervous appearance, and then..

Published: 7th Jun 2007

The Licensing Act 2003: Your responsibilities

Because the new Licensing Act does not link a licensee to specific premises, the choice of who is in charge of the off-licence rests with the person carrying on the business.

Published: 6th Jun 2007

The Licensing Act 2003: Children and Test Purchasing

Test purchasing has now been put on a sound legal footing, with the law actively encouraging local authorities to engage in campaigns involving the use of young people under regulated conditions to attempt purchases in off-licences and other..

Published: 5th Jun 2007