Licensing Act 2003
The Licensing Act 2003 became law on 24 November 2005 and this date saw the responsibility for the issuing of licences for the sale or supply of alcohol pass from the local magistrates court to the Council (the licensing authority).
The Licensing Act 2003 idetifies the following licensable activities :
- any sale of alcohol by retail,
- the supply of alcohol in a members club
- regulated entertainment, such as films, plays, indoor sports, boxing or wrestling, live or recorded music or dancing
- late night refreshment (hot food or hot drink between 23:00hrs and 5:00hrs the next day).
If you are carrying on any of these activities, you will need the relevant licence/authorisation. The different types of licence / authorisation are:
- Premises Licence,
- Personal Licence, In order sell alcohol from a premises that holds a premises licence you will need a personal licence holder
- Club Premises Certificate, or in certain circumstances (as above)
- Temporary Event Notices
Licensing policy
The council's Licensing Policy was published in January 2008 after wide consultation and will be reviewed every three years. It sets out our approach to the Licensing Act 2003. We aim to strike a balance between the rights of businesses, the rights of their customers to enjoy the services offered, and the rights of everyone to protection from badly managed licensed premises.
Download Barnet Council’s Licensing Policy 
(PDF:
232KB)
More information on the Licensing Act 2003
The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) have provided useful Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) covering all aspects of the Licensing Act 2003. These can be found by visiting the alcohol and entertainment web page and follow the link to Licensing Act 2003 explained
The Licensing Team
The Licensing team deals with many of the licenses that may be issued by the council. We can:
- provide application forms and information and advice about applications, fees, how to apply, whether a licence is needed and how to advertise an application;
- provide information about existing licenses and current applications;
- receive representations either in favor of or against a licence application;
- deal with requests for a review of a licence in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003;
- respond to complaints about licensed premises or premises trading without a licence.
Email this pageLast modified by: Laura Mawby on 10/02/2010