ABOLITION OF PERSONAL LICENCES: SAY NO

Friday, 04 October 2013

CPL Training are hoping to enlist your help in persuading the Government not to abolish the personal licence system in favour of a patchwork quilt of local licensing authority training and vetting conditions.

The Government’s proposals, and why they are misguided:

• To abolish the personal licence
• To make the DPS the only person who can authorise alcohol sales on licensed premises, but the DPS wouldn’t hold a licence
• To require a criminal record declaration every time the DPS changes
• To replace a coherent, qualification-based national system of personal licences that delivers consistency and flexibility, particularly when changing the DPS at short notice, with so-called “targeted local alternatives.”
• “Targeted local alternatives” means every licensing authority deciding who needs training and vetting, and in what types of premises, and how often. A postcode lottery of training and vetting that will vary from one area to another and one premises to another, and will lead to heavily-conditioned premises licences and no consistency

For the first time since the Alehouse Act of 1552 the person or persons managing a licensed premises wouldn’t have to hold a licence. Abandoning the personal licence diminishes the status and authority of those managing licensed premises and will lead to a weakening of supervision. 

It is important that you make your views known to the Home Office; otherwise we could be sleepwalking into a nightmare of increased cost and complexity for the sector. 

There are two ways to respond to the consultation and make your opposition known:

1.You can go direct to the online response form here

2.Simply provide a written response that answers the questions contained in the consultation response document and post it to: Alcohol Team, Drugs and Alcohol Unit, Home Office, 4th Floor Fry Buildings, 2 Marsham street, London SW1P 4DF.

But hurry - the closing date for the consultation is the 7th November 2013!