The move follows huge discounts for alcohol at supermarkets and convenience stores, which is being blamed for binge drinking, which in turn has a huge impact on accident and emergency wards of hospitals.

He said “We need to take action right across the board. We also need to look at the issue of pricing. This is a national problem.”

The prime minister is examining Scottish moves to outlaw the sale of alcohol at less than 45p a unit, as well as a plan to link taxes on drinks to their strength.

Ian Gilmore, the Royal College of Physicians’ special adviser on alcohol and the chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said Cameron “rightly identifies cheap drink as a major factor and I encourage him to join Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland in meeting this head on with a minimum unit price for alcohol”.

Other more radical idea’s to solve this problem includes a “drinking licence” which would be taken away if the user is convicted of alcohol related crimes.

Applications must be received by Monday, 6 February.

The Best Bar None awards focus on safety and customer care with the ultimate aim of finding the best pub, club or bar in Carlisle and Penrith.The initiative aims to reward licensees, who provide good management, a safe and enjoyable environment for customers, discourage binge-drinking and prevent alcohol-related crime.

As always Alcohol Licence.org promote all responsible alcohol retailing initiatives and additional staff training schemes are an essential part of ensuring products such as alcohol are sold responsibly. If you are looking to take a licensing qualification such as the Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders you can now book online for course held in Carlisle using the link below.

Personal Licence courses in Carlisle
]]> http://www.alcohollicence.org/alcohol-licence-training-in-carlisle-eden/feed/ 0 http://www.alcohollicence.org/february-1st-2012-a-memorable-day-for-alcohollicence-org/ http://www.alcohollicence.org/february-1st-2012-a-memorable-day-for-alcohollicence-org/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:41:19 +0000 Jeremy http://www.alcohollicence.org/?p=1635 Yes what a day! Firstly notice that we have updated the sites look. Hope you like it!

Secondly AlcoholLicence.org had over 10000 visits in January. Thanks to all of our readers, and keep the comments and queries coming in! Speaking of which we only accept comments and ping-backs that are actually related to the content of the site (i.e. the hospitality industry…..), anything else will be REJECTED! So pleeeease no attempts to link to Forex or Magical Condom sites…..

Thirdly the site was hacked. Luckily we keep an eye on our visitors, and keep regular backups of the site, so not much damage was done. I find it a little sad that an obviously talented individual deems it a good use of their time to hack into sites like ours, rather than doing something useful….like making money, but there you go…… As I said not much damage was done, but we did lose a few comments on the day, so apologies if yours did not appear, please recomment (is that a word?) if you are still looking for answers about your alcohol licence.
Once again thanks to all of our readers, have a good year folks!

The Licensing Act 2003

The majority of alcohol laws relating to the selling of alcohol within a licensed premises are encompassed within the Licensing Act 2003. The Licensing Act, brought into full force in April 2005, provides a single streamlined system of licensing under the law, designed to condense and replace the wide ranging legislation that preceded it. As the Secretary of State commented in 2003, “this is a far-reaching Bill that will…sweep away swathes of red tape and bureaucracy”.

The Two Licences

Legislation contained within the Licensing Act 2003 will generally relate to either the personal licence or the premises licence. These two subcategories, each a mandatory licence, were designed to replace a more numerous set of licences that were relevant to differing types of premises, condensing alcohol laws.

The Personal Licence: This licence relates to the people involved in alcohol retail. Under the Licensing Act, every sale or supply of alcohol must be made or authorised by a personal licence holder. Additionally, the sole Designated Premises Supervisor must be a personal licence holder. A personal licence applicant must hold a relevant qualification: in England and Wales, the Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) Level 2; in Scotland, the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (SCPLH) Level 5.

For more information about applying for a personal licence,  Click here.

The Premises Licence: This licence relates to the venue in which alcohol is being sold or supplied. Under this licence, the Designated Premises Supervisor is obliged to draw up an operating schedule, detailing measures put in place to support the four licensing objectives. These key licensing objectives have shaped the nature of alcohol laws, notably the licensing laws enshrined within the premises licence.

For more information about applying for a premises licence, Click here.

The four licensing objectives:

• The prevention of crime and disorder
• Public safety
• The prevention of public nuisance
• The protection of children from harm

The development of parallel legislation

Since the drawing up of the Licensing Act 2003, concerns over the effects of alcohol misuse on health and crime figures have risen in profile within government and the media, leading to an increase in parallel legislation. Often, a careful balance has to be struck within alcohol licensing law between the priorities of health campaigners, the liberty of the industry and the legislation already laid down within the Licensing Act 2003.

Pricing Regulation

Liver disease is now the country’s fifth biggest killer, and cases of alcoholic liver disease in the under-30s have risen by half in the past 10 years, according to the Department of Health. In response to these statistics, the coalition has announced the formation of a “drink strategy”, balancing input from both the health lobby and the drinks industry. Similarly, drug and alcohol problems in the Isle of Man are set to become government priorities, hinting towards a review of alcohol laws.

Gavin Partington of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, has suggested that the alcohol retail industry in Britain is very willing to help limit alcohol abuse, with large companies are increasingly aware of their social responsibilities: “It is important for them to be seen to implement policies that are going to be tackling what is a very real problem.” Nevertheless, he added that the industry believes in voluntary codes of practice rather than legislation to limit the availability, price or advertising.

As part of a coalition agreement, a ban of the sale of alcohol below a minimum price will be introduced in England and Wales from 6 April 2012, mimicking Scottish developments in alcohol licensing law. Under the conditions of the Act, shops and bars will not be able to sell drinks for less than the tax paid on them, capping minimum retail prices at 21p per unit of beer and 28p per unit of spirits.

For more details on the pricing legislation, Click here.

Retail Density

Meanwhile, a report commissioned by Alcohol Concern argues that Government needs to introduce measures that reduce the general availability of alcohol by regulating off-licence density, effectively limiting the numerical density of off-licences within a given neighbourhood or street. The Licensing Act 2003, however, prohibits against the rejection of a premises licence on the grounds of the density.

For our commentary on the One on Every Corner report, Click here.

The responses:

The ‘live music bill’ was introduced as a private members’ bill by Tim Clement-Jones in the House of Lords and has been represented by Liberal Democrat culture spokesman Don Foster in the House of Commons. Its successful passage through Commons has provoked a positive response from council spokespersons and live music media.

The Culture, Tourism and Sport Board of the Local Government Association have immediately declared their support: “The Live Music Bill does a good job in streamlining the process while leaving councils with enough ways to protect residents who may be adversely affected.” Music magazines, including UK Music and NME, have heavily publicised the bill, celebrating the implications for small music venues. Prior to the bill, the NME magazine had launched a campaign to try and raise awareness of the plight of smaller music venues, and reacted favourably this week.

http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/61599

The background:

Since the introduction of the Licensing Act 2003, designed to streamline and simplify licensing, small live music venues have struggled to adapt to both the cost of a premises licence covering live music and the licence application process. Alcohollicence.org covered many of these developments in 2011. A popular Peterborough music venue, Club Revolution, closed in April 2011 after owners “took their eyes off the ball” and failed to renew their premises licence with Peterborough City Council.

http://www.alcohollicence.org/music-venue-failed-to-renew-its-licence/

In February 2011, the Music Industries Association pledged to back the campaign to support live music, but questioned whether the government’s ‘Big Society’ initiative will take the issue seriously.

http://www.alcohollicence.org/will-the-big-society-support-live-music/

The impact on licensing regulations on live music is just one aspect to a broader issue, as licensing restrictions apply to drama, dance, film and indoor sport. In recent months, a number of smaller live music and theatre venues have been forced to close, including Liverpool’s Masque Theatre, Leicester’s Charlotte and Sheffield’s Boardwalk.

Confusion over legislation is by no means a solely British dilemma. It was announced this week that the organisers of Heatwave Festival, held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, have failed to obtain a liquor licence for the event.

The law:

With the full implementation of the Licensing Act 2003 in 2005, former additional licences (such as entertainment licences) relating to licensed premises became part of a single, streamlined premises licence. A premises licence enables on or more ‘licensable activities’ to be conducted on the premises. Without a premises licence, these licensable activities cannot be conducted lawfully on the premises. The provision of regulated entertainment, which includes plays, indoor sporting events, the performance of live music and the playing of recorded music, is one such licensable activity. If the pattern of licensable activities changes within a premises (due to, for example, the introduction of live music), a change of use application must be filed with the local licensing authority with regards to the premises licence, and an operating schedule must be drawn up by the Designated Premises Supervisor.

Further information and advice regarding the premises licence can be found on the Personal Licence Training Ltd website: http://www.personallicence.com/services

A personal licence or personal license? Whichever way it is spelt, it will allow you sell alcohol in England, Wales and Scotland. It is easy to get confused about when to write licence and when license. Which spelling you choose depends on whether you are using the word as a noun or a verb, and whether you are following British usage or not. Spell the word with c in British English when using it as a noun, as in driving licence, off-licence, poetic licence. When using it as verb, you should spell it with an s, as in licensed premises. Other varieties of English often follow this rule, except United States English, where the -s- is much more common in both the noun and the verb.

Do not confuse licence with license. Licence is a noun which means ‘a permit to do something’ (a driving licence), whereas license is a verb meaning ‘give a permit to someone; allow something’ (the loggers are licensed to cut mahogany trees). In American English, both the noun and the verb are spelled license.

This confusion is so similar to practice and practise that once you’ve learned the difference for one, you will instantly know it for the other!

Licence is a noun, License is a verb. Before learning to drive, you must apply for a provisional driving licence, but the DVLA must license you to drive.

When you apply to a Licensing Authority for a Personal Licence, your local Licensing Authority will license you to sell alcohol.

We hope the above English lesson helps with any confusion!

So a Personal Licence is what you require if you are looking to sell or authorise the sale of alcohol from licensed premises. There are currently two types of personal licence: one for alcohol sales in England & Wales and one for Scotland.

If you require a personal licence to sell alcohol then you are on the right website. Simply click below to book a course online or find a training location near you.

Click here to choose a Licence for England & Wales

or

Click here to choose a licence for Scotland
]]> http://www.alcohollicence.org/personal-license-am-i-spelling-it-correctly/feed/ 0 http://www.alcohollicence.org/what-is-a-personal-licence-certificate/ http://www.alcohollicence.org/what-is-a-personal-licence-certificate/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:23:18 +0000 Mark http://www.alcohollicence.org/?p=1576 To legally sell alcohol in the UK, you need a personal licence. To apply for a personal licence, you need a personal licence certificate, a qualification for personal licence holders and applicants. This use of termanology can be somewhat confusing- the term “personal licence certificate” is very often used informally or incorrectly to describe the award that allows you to apply for a personal licence. This award is known in Scotland as an SCPLH (Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders), and allows a person to sell alcohol in Scotland. In England and Wales, the certificate is known as an APLH (Award for Personal Licence Holders). It is worth noting that the APLH was known as the NCPLH (National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders) until April 2011.

The personal licence certificates are open to all candidates who are preparing to work, or who are already working, in licensed retail, who seek employment or self-employment supervising premises with Premises Licences that authorise the sale or supply of alcohol, and other licensable activities. The aim of this personal licence certificate is to enable candidates to develop:

1. an understanding of the system of licensing and control in respect of licensed premises and licensable activities
2. an understanding of the legal and social roles and responsibilities of Personal Licence Holders
3. a knowledge of the minimum legislation requirements and basic operating procedures in licensed premises
4. an understanding of the licensing objectives and of the Personal Licence Holders’ legal and social responsibilities in respect of the responsible use of alcohol, reducing crime and disorder and preventing drug use and drug dealing and the protection of children

Within the UK, there are a number of steps to follow in order to attain a personal licence to sell alcohol:

1: Complete a training programme and achieve a licensing qualification (APLH or SCPLH)

2: Apply for a CRB check.

3: Submit a personal licence application, CRB Basic Disclosure form, APLH certificate and fee to your local licensing authority.

4: Your personal licence application will then be either granted or refused by your local licensing authority. Once granted, a personal licence is valid for ten years.

UK Licensing Qualifications:

There are currently two relevant licensing qualifications within the UK:

• Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) Level 2 (England & Wales)
• Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (SCPLH) Level 5 (Scotland)

The Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH), formerly known as the National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH), is a mandatory qualification in England and Wales for personal licence holders. Under the Licensing Act 2003, an individual wishing to apply for a personal licence to sell alcohol in the UK must first complete this award. You can find your local training venue for APLH training courses using this training link.

The Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (SCPLH) is the Scottish equivalent of the APLH, and is a mandatory qualification in Scotland for personal licence holders and applicants. You can find your local training venue for SCPLH training courses using this training link.

Licensing Authorities:

Your local licensing authority, usually your local council, is responsible for receiving your personal licence application, and for either granting or refusing the application. You can find your local licensing authority using this Directgov link.

Why do I need a Personal Licence?

Under the Licensing Act 2003, every sale or supply of alcohol taking place within a licensed premises must be made or supervised by a personal licence holder (Licensing Act 2003, 19.3). Additionally, the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) named on the premises licence must be a personal licence holder. You can find out more about how to become a DPS using this article link.
]]> http://www.alcohollicence.org/how-do-i-get-a-personal-licence-to-sell-alcohol/feed/ 0 http://www.alcohollicence.org/fake-driving-licence-warning/ http://www.alcohollicence.org/fake-driving-licence-warning/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:07:35 +0000 admin http://www.alcohollicence.org/?p=1516 Retailers of alcohol are urged to be vigilant over the Christmas period. With an increasing number of fake identification cards available via the internet, Personal Licence Training Limited have issued a warning to all retail premises selling alcohol or other age restricted products. The warning comes after staff at the licence training company became aware of a new form of identification cards hitting the market, known as ”Fake UK Driving Licence templates”. The makers of the novelty ID cards/templates claim the following on their website: “Our templates are painstakingly designed to be a flawless UK licence. Laminate hologram overlay are exact. UV ink looks perfect under UV light and your details are encoded and will scan correctly same as a real licence.”

Makers of these type of identification cards/templates claim that they are producing novelty ID cards that should not be used to obtain age restricted products, however Personal Licence Training Ltd warns that,  in the wrong hands, the novelty cards can be used in attempting to purchase alcoholic products. PLT urge retailers to take a look at this website, as unauthorised sales to under-18s could lead to loss of licence: http://uk-id.com/uktemplate.html

To avoid accepting these types of ID cards take a look at our article on spotting fake ID.

Once you have achieved your licensing qualification, you can then apply to your local council’s licensing authority, or licensing board in Scotland, for your personal alcohol licence. For more information, please see our article on applying for your personal licence to sell alcohol. Many independent training providers do offer a full licence processing service, however cost may vary so be careful of hidden costs!

The average price for a certificate only training course and course handbook is around £150 – £165 + VAT.

The cost of processing a full licence is around £295 – £340 including VAT, all fees, training and course material.