Should We Scrap Personal Licences And Risk Lawlessness in UK Pubs?

Personal Licences were introduced as part of the new Licensing Act 2003 (introduced on November 24th 2005) to effectively provide a qualification by way of training and examination, thereby ensuring those who sell alcohol (and authorise others to sell alcohol) actually know the law of the land and how to ensure alcohol is sold responsibly.

Sound thinking and sound rationale, which replaced the previous system where new licencees had to appear before a magistrate's bench and be challenged on their knowledge of licensing laws - with no national standards of interrogation. So far so good. Thousands of bar staff, off-licence staff and supermarket staff, etc, have achieved the required qualification which in turn has given them a foot on the ladder of professionalism in our industry. So why now should HMG believe it is not fit for purpose? Is it because local authorities have been so depleted of resource, they cannot cope with the administration? Is that what is really behind it?

There are flaws in the Personal Licence system, for example a pub could legally get by with just one Personal Licence Holder (who might also be the Designated Premises Holder, the person in overall charge of the day-to-day running of a Licenced Premises) then have another 6 staff who sell alcohol under the authority of the Personal Licence Courses Holder (you still with me?) but those 6 staff would not have need to have a CRB check (part of the Personal Licence requirement) at all and so could be villains galore.

Maybe the answer is that ALL those selling alcohol should have a Personal Licence, not do away with them?

If our industry is serious about raising professionalism, then understanding the Licensing Law is a vital start point. There's no point in studying: customer service, cellar management, financials controls, wine dispensing, menu planning, employment law, marketing, merchandising, chalkboard skills, pricing strategies, competitor activity - and about another 30 items that a real professional licencee or bar person needs to know - if the first thing you do is to serve someone under-age, or someone who appears to be intoxicated, or serve someone outside of permitted hours, only to find yourself heavily fined or sent to Prison!

Once again we see the UK Government looking to interfere where interference is not needed!


Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses