Apply for a review of a licence

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

Grounds for a licence review

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

• Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime
• Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way
• Protecting children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling

How to apply for a licence review

You must apply to us using our application to review a premises licence or club premises certificate form.

You must also give notice of the application for a review to all the responsible authorities and the holder of the premises licence on the same day you submit it to us. You must give notice using our notice of application for review of a premises licence form.

If you fail to notify the responsible authorities or the licence holder on the same day as us, your application will be invalid.

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

Who can ask for a review

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

Responsible authorities

These include the police, fire service, health and safety authority, environmental health, gambling commission, HM Revenue and Customs and social services.

Interested parties

Are those living or working in the vicinity of the premises and / or their representatives.

What happens when we receive an application for a licence review

We will check that:

• An interested party or responsible authority has made the application
• The application relates to the licensing objectives and is not 'frivolous, vexatious or repetitious'
• The applicant has sent a notice to the responsible authorities and the licence 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 interested parties 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 following our licensing hearings protocol and procedure. Alternative guidance if joining via Teams

The hearing is a chance for anyone who asked for the review or made 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 interested parties or responsible authorities can attend the hearing, as well as the licence holder. Someone else (legally qualified or not) can help or represent you, if you want.

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:

• Be made by the holder of the licence, a responsible authority or interested party
• Not be frivolous or vexatious
• Refer to one or more of the licensing objectives

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 three licensing objectives:

• Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime;
• Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way; and
• Protecting children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

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.