Apply for a review of a licence

If you are having issues with a licensed premises, please start with our complain about a licensed premises page. If you have tried all of the steps there, and are still experiencing problems, then you may be able to ask us to review the licence.

Grounds for review

A review must be about the licence holder's failing to promote one or more of the licensing objectives. These are:

• Preventing crime and disorder
• Preventing public nuisance
• Ensuring public safety
• Protecting children from harm

How to apply for a review of a licence

You must apply to us using the correct application form:

Application for the review of a premises licence or club premises certificate

You must also give a full copy of the application for a review to all the responsible authorities and the holder of the premises licence or club premises certificate on the same day you submit it to us.

Failure to notify the responsible authorities or the licence holder on the same day as us will make the application invalid.

You can find contact details for the responsible authorities on our useful licensing contacts page.

Who can ask for a review

If all else has failed, a 'responsible authority' or any other person, can apply to us for a review of the premises licence or club premises certificate. This involves a hearing of our licensing sub-committee.

Responsible authorities

These include the police, fire service, health and safety authority, environmental health, trading standards, planning and social services.

What happens after we receive your application for a licence review

We will check that the application:

• Relates to the licensing objectives and is not 'frivolous, vexatious or repetitious'
• Has been sent to the responsible authorities and the licence or certificate holder

If the application is not valid

If we believe that the application is incorrect, we will tell you as soon as possible.

If the application is valid

We will display a public notice:

• At, or near, the premises
• At the council offices
• On our website

The notice:

• Provides details of the grounds for the review
• Invites comments from other people and 'responsible authorities'
• Gives dates for receipt of comments. By law we must allow 28 days.

The licensing sub-committee hearing

We will give at least ten working days' notice to all the relevant parties of the date, time and venue for the licensing sub-committee hearing. We have to hold the hearing within 20 working days of the last date allowed for comments.

We hold the hearing in accordance with our Licensing hearings procedure.

The hearing is a chance for anyone who requested the review or made relevant representations to address the sub-committee directly. We can only consider documents produced for the first time at the hearing if everyone agrees. However additional documentation may be submitted before the day of the hearing.

Who can attend the hearing

All applicants and people or bodies making relevant representations can attend the hearing, as well as the licence holder. Someone else (legally qualified or not) can assist or represent you, if you wish.

Making a comment on a review application

We can only take account of 'relevant representations' received within the 28 days allowed for this.

This means that a representation must:

• Not be frivolous or vexatious
• Refer to one or more of the licensing objectives 
  o The prevention of crime and disorder
  o The prevention of public nuisance
  o Ensuring public safety
  o Protecting children from harm

If you want to make a representation, you must do so in writing. The date by which we must receive the representation will be on the advertised notice of review.

The sub-committee's decision

The sub-committee will decide what steps should be taken to make sure the premises promote the four licensing objectives:

• Preventing crime and disorder
• Preventing public nuisance
• Ensuring public safety
• Protecting children from harm

This can include revoking, suspending or amending the licence.

What you can do to help your application for review

The licensing sub-committee may attach more weight to objections supported by documentary or physical evidence of any problem described.

You can support your application by collecting as much evidence as possible to back up the points you wish to make. You can do this in a number of simple ways, such as supplying:

• A diary/record of events
• Video evidence
• Photographs
• Sound recordings
• Supporting statements from neighbours or witnesses
• A record of complaints made to local enforcement agencies

If you collect such evidence, you need to let us know that you wish to use it before any hearing takes place. You also have to agree to a copy being given to the licence holder or their representative.

Personal details

As far as possible, we will remove personal details from any public documents produced for a hearing. But, it is only fair that applicants are able to identify and locate those objecting.

So, unless you tell us otherwise, we will give your details to the applicants.