Reminder: Consultation on alcohol licence fees closing soon

As we reported a few weeks ago, the Home Office has launched a public consultation proposing a move from centrally-set to locally-set fees for alcohol licences. This consultation will close on 10 April.

The purpose of the consultation is to allow local authorities to recoup the costs associated with carrying out their licensing functions.

Sports clubs which have bars that sell alcohol are required to pay for a licence. The consultation proposes removing the current annual licence fee levels (which are based on the rateable value of the property) and replacing them with a higher cap.

This would make local authorities free to set licence fees for clubs (provided they don’t exceed the proposed cap) at a level that enables them to cover their costs.

This could mean that some clubs could be required to pay more than they are currently.

The Alliance has met with the Home Office to oppose any proposed increases for sports clubs. We will also be looking to secure exemptions from the proposals for sports clubs and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) where possible.

The Alliance will be producing a draft response in the next few days which we are happy to share with NGBs and clubs.

National governing bodies and clubs may also wish to submit their own individual responses prior to the closing date on 10 April.

For more information please contact David Foster.

View the alcohol licence consultation document.

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