Village Halls - The
Licensing Act 2003
New Licensing Regime from 24th November 2005
The new Licensing regime came into effect
on 24th November 2005. Every hall putting on 'regulated
entertainment'or selling alcohol must either have a permanent
Premises Licence or obtain a Temporary Event Notice for
each event. All the licences halls used to hold ceased to
be vaid from 24th November.
Premises Licences are issued by District and Borough Councils.
Many halls converted their Public Entertainment Licence
under so-called 'grandfather rights'. This is no longer
possible and halls which have not done this and want a Premises
Licence must apply for a new one. This can take up to 56
days, as several statutory bodies and local people have
to be consulted. Premises Licenses for entertainment only
(without alcohol) are issued free, but there is a scale
of fees where alcohol is included. Licenses are held in
the name of the business, i.e. the hall, not an individual.
They do not need to be renewed annually but last for the
life of the business.
l
Temporary Event Notices
The forms and guidance notes for giving
a Temporary Event Notice are available, either from your
local licensing Department or from the DCMS website: www.culture.gov.uk.
Premises may use no more than 12 TENs in any one calendar
year. TENs can be used for entertainment and/or sale of
alcohol where a hall has no Premises Licence. They can also
be used to allow the sale of alcohol at events in a hall
which has a Premises Licence for entertainment only. Anyone
can obtain up to 5 TENs a year. This means that people hiring
the hall are allowed to obtain TENs, as well as members
of the hall Management Committee. Many halls will prefer
to obtain all the TENs themselves, to help them keep control
of the number of TENs being issued for their premises. Information
about TEN's must be included in hall Hiring Agreements.
Halls which decide to include sale of alcohol
in their Premises Licence must appoint a Designated Premises
Supervisor, who must undergo training and have a Criminal
Records Bureau check. The DPS does not need to be on the
premises at every event where alcohol is sold, but must
ensure that the events are properly managed and the Licensing
objectives are met.
Further Information
For further information contact your local
District or Borough Licensing Officer or Rural Action Derbyshire's Village Halls Advisor, Helena Stubbs
h.stubbs@derbysrcc.org.uk
or 01629 821925.
Notes
1. Regulated Entertainment is defined as:
- The performance of a play
- An exhibition of a film
- An indoor sporting event
- Boxing or wrestling entertainment
- A performance of live music
- Any playing of recorded music
- A performance of dance
2. Licensing Objectives are:
- The prevention of crime and disorder
- Public safety
- The prevention of public nuisance
- The protection of children from harm
3. Raffles
It is possible to include bottles or cans of alcohol
in a raffle, tombola or similar activity without a licence,
so long as it is held as part of a social or fund-raising
event and the alcohol is not opened on the premises.
4. PRS Licenses
This legislation does not affect Performing Rights
Society Licenses (PRS) and Phonographic Performance Ltd
Licenses (PPL) which must continue to be obtained in the
normal way
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