What is a personal licence?
All sales of alcohol must be made by or under the authority of a
Personal Licence Holder. Not everyone who makes a sale has to hold
a personal licence, as long as a Personal Licence Holder has
authorised the sale. This does not apply to qualifying clubs or
premises operating under a Temporary Event Notice (TEN). You must
normally apply for your personal licence to the council in whose
district you live.
You can have as many Personal Licence Holders on your premises
as you wish, providing there is only one Designated Premises
Supervisor. You can also choose to become a Personal Licence Holder
if you wish to apply for more than five Temporary Event Notices a
year.
What is a designated premises supervisor?
All premises operating under a Premises Licence to sell or
supply alcohol must appoint a designated premises supervisor (DPS)
for the premises. There can only be one DPS per premises. The DPS
will be held as the person in overall charge of the premises. You
should therefore choose this person with care.
Applicants must nominate the DPS on their application form. This
person does not have to be on the premises at all times, but they
must take responsibility for what happens there. This means the DPS
should ensure any staff they appoint are appropriately trained in
the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003 and of any specific
conditions attached to the Premises Licence. A person cannot become
a DPS unless he is also a Personal Licence Holder.
Although qualifying clubs don’t need a DPS to sell alcohol to
members and their guests, this exemption does not apply if the
premises are hired out for wedding receptions and the like. You
need a full Premises Licence for these activities (unless you are
only holding a small number of events, which you can hold under a
TEN) and therefore need to appoint a DPS.
Application for a personal licence
The new applicant must be over 18 and hold a licensing
qualification that has been accredited by the Secretary of State,
or provide proof that they are a person of prescribed
description.
The application must be submitted to the
Licensing Authority
Your application must include all of the following:
- Completed Application for a Personal Licence form (Schedule 1).
(LP1)
- Completed Disclosure of Convictions and Declaration form
(LP3).
- A Police Check Certificate which should be in one of the
following forms:
- a criminal conviction certificate issued under section 112 of
the Police Act 1997(a);
- a criminal record certificate issued under section 113A of the
Police Act 1997;
- the results of a subject access search under the Data
Protection Act 1998(b) of the Police National Computer by the
National Identification Service;
In any case such certificate of search results shall be issued
no earlier than one calendar month before the giving of the
application to the relevant licensing authority. A Subject Access
Search form can be obtained from the local police station.
Alternatively a basic disclosure can
be applied for online or telephone 0870 609 6006. Further
information can be obtained by calling the Data Protection Unit on
0845 4567 000.
If there are relevant offences, the Police can make a
representation against the application on crime prevention grounds.
If the police make a representation then there will be a hearing of
the application.
The original or a certified copy of the licensing
qualification
The approved licensing qualification is the National Certificate
for Personal Licence Holders. Further information can be obtained
from the British Institute of Innkeeping on
(01276) 684449, EDI on 08707 202909 or customerservice@ediplc.com, Graded
qualifications allowance, ncplc@gqal.org.uk 0845 170 0001.
Two photographs which shall be:
- taken against a light background so that the applicant’s
features are distinguishable and contrast against the
background
- 45 millimetres by 35 millimetres in size
- full face uncovered and without sunglasses
- unless the applicant wears a head covering due to his religious
beliefs, without a head covering
- on photographic paper
- one of which is endorsed with a statement verifying the
likeness of the photograph to the applicant by a solicitor, notary,
a person of standing in the community or any individual with a
professional qualification
The fee of £37 made payable to Peterborough City Council.