2.1 The Act is about:

• authorising individuals to sell or supply alcohol (“Personal Licence”)
• allowing premises to be used for the provision of licensable activities, that is the sale/supply of alcohol, the provision of regulated entertainment and the provision of late-night refreshment (“Premises Licence” & “Club Premises Certificate”); and
• permitting certain licensable activities on a temporary basis (“Temporary Event Notice”)

2.2 Regulated Entertainment is entertainment that takes place for the purpose of entertaining an audience or spectators at a premise’s made available for the purpose of enabling that activity and must either take place:

• in the presence of a public audience; or
• in private but with a view to profit

2.3 The description of entertainment activities that are licensable, or require authorisation, under the Act are:

• the performance of a play
• the exhibition of a film
• an indoor sporting event for 1000 persons or more, or for any event, regardless of the number of persons present, held between 23:00 hours and 08:00 hours
• a boxing or wrestling entertainment (indoor or outdoor)
• a performance of live music
• any playing of recorded music
• a performance of dance
• entertainment of a similar description to the performance of music or dance or the playing of recorded music

Note: There are a number of exemptions under that Act where entertainment activities can be provided without the need for a licence or authorisation. In addition, deregulatory changes mean that some entertainment activities provided at specified premises, between set times and to a limited audience do not require a licence or authorisation.

2.4 Late night refreshment constitutes the supply of hot food or hot drink to members of the public (whether for consumption on or off the premises) between 23:00 hours and 05:00 hours.

2.5 In general, a reference in the Policy to a Premises Licence will include a Club Premises Certificate unless otherwise stated.

2.6 The Policy covers all types of applications: provisional statements, grants, renewals, transfers, variations (full and minor) and reviews; together with the service of temporary event notices.

2.7 Whilst the Council will have regard to the Policy when carrying out its licensing function, the Council may depart from the Policy if necessary, in the interests of promoting the licensing objectives. The Council will give its reasons if it departs from the Policy.

2.8 Where applications attract no representations (or an amendment to an application leads the withdrawal of representations) the Council will have no discretion and a licence will be granted in the terms applied for. All licences will be subject to relevant mandatory conditions, which are explained further in section 5.