Licensing News England And Wales - July 2017

Institute of Licensing and TLT to provide training for councillors and licensing officers on licensing hearings

Dates in September have been announced for the Institute of Licensing Hearings Training courses. We have worked with the IoL to put together a day's training, culminating in a 'mock hearing', designed to benefit all parties involved in licensing hearings. A link to the course brochure can be found here.

The courses will be held on the following dates:

11 September – Durham 12 September – Basingstoke 13 September – Solihull 14 September – Ely 15 September – Port Talbot More information and details on how to book can be found here.

Jake Berry: new Pubs Minister

The Conservative MP for Rossendale and Darwen has been appointed to the role of Pubs Minister. He has previously held positions as Northern Powerhouse Minister and High Streets Minister and has a record of voting on issues relating to the licensing industry.

He takes over from Andrew Percy, who will take on the Northern Powerhouse minster role.

Summer's perennial problem blooms afresh: Customers in gardens and irritated neighbours

It is a blessing when the sun peeps through the clouds and evenings are bathed in sunshine. But for many bar operators, it also heralds the annual battle of ensuring local residents are kept on-side as customers enjoy one of the few days a year when they get to bask in the late evening sun with a pint after a long day's work. Here's a few tips that might help:

Know your neighbours

If you live cheek-by-jowl with your neighbours, ensuring that they know who you are and who to approach if they have issues is the key to preventing problems escalating. If they can turn to someone and have a quiet word about a cause for concern, you are more likely to be able to come to an agreement than if the matter has escalated and there is already a level of distrust.

Set your ground-rules and stick to them

If you have an issue with kids using your neighbour's fence for a football goal, or a neighbour complaining of smokers under their bedroom window, it's clear to see that these could amount to a nuisance. It's better not to find out whether a licensing committee agree that what you are doing is reasonable. Identify what can be done to assist and most importantly, ensure that staff and customers understand the ground-rules. Notices to that effect can save a lot of bother in the long-run.

Advanced notice is not only polite- it's good marketing

If you are having a...