Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing

The Licensing Act 2003 requires anyone selling or supplying alcohol, providing regulated entertainment or late night refreshment to hold a premises licence or club premises certificate. In addition, anyone authorising alcohol sales must hold a personal licence. 

The Licensing Act 2003 provides a system of regulation the sale or supply of alcohol, regulated entertainment and late night refreshment. The Home Office has responsibility for this legislation.

Women's Night Safety Toolkit

This toolkit is about taking practical steps together to make our area safer for women at night. Everyone should feel empowered to play their part in creating positive change and whatever your area of work, we encourage you to pledge your commitment to women’s safety.

The latest information including the Section 172F statement template: Business & Planning Act 2020

Licence Fees

Licensing Act 2003 fees are set centrally. The Licensing Authority does not have flexibility on this matter and the Act does not provide any mechanism to refund licence fees. Reminder letters shall be sent when this is due.

Alcohol Delivery Service 

Information relating to an alcohol delivery service is available.

Guidance and Forms

Detailed information and copies of forms for applications for premises licences, personal licences and club premises certificates and our guidance notes are available the relevant web page. Please note that all forms are prescribed by law, and the Council has no control or discretion over their format. Microsoft Word® forms capable of completion electronically appear in those pages.

Important information about the additional Mandatory Conditions imposed on premises licences and club premises certificates by the Government with effect from 6th April and 1st October 2010 are contained in the Premises Licences and Club Premises Certificates pages.

Fees
Fees for applications for premises licences and club premises certificates, again set by the Home Office, are calculated on the Non-Domestic Rateable Value of the premises. You can obtain the NDRV for your premises from your business rates bill or from the Valuation Office Agency via their web site (see below) or by telephoning the VOA on 023 8053 8500. 

Notes of the fees are contained in each set of premises or personal licence guidance notes. A link to a full list appears below. 

Sections 55 and 92 of the Licensing Act 2003, as amended, provide that failure to pay annual fees when they are due will result in suspension of the premises licence or club premises certificate.

Penalties
The sale or supply of alcohol, provision of regulated entertainment or late night refreshment must be authorised by a premises licence, club premises certificate or temporary event notice. The penalty for not doing so is severe - a maximum £20,000 fine and/or up to six months imprisonment. In addition, anyone authorising alcohol sales must hold a personal licence (or have given a temporary event notice).

Businesses buying alcohol from wholesalers:
New provisions from 1 April 2017
From 1 April 2017 businesses that sell alcohol to the public will need to ensure that the UK wholesalers they buy alcohol from have been approved by HMRC under the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS). They will need to check the wholesaler’s Unique Registration Number (URN) against the HMRC online database which will be available from April 2017. 

If a business is found to have purchased alcohol from an unapproved wholesaler, they may be liable to a penalty or could even face criminal prosecution and have their alcohol stock seized. Further information is available from the Home Office

Other Licences and Permissions
Whether not the authority of a premises licence, club premises certificate or temporary event notice is required, the performance or reproduction of any copyright sound or visual work will need permission from the copyright owner. For more information contact PRS for Music Ltd. and Phonographic Performance Ltd. in respect of performances of music and recorded music or the Motion Picture Licensing Company Ltd. (trading as MPLC) and Filmbank Distributors Ltd.(t/a Filmbank Media) in respect of film or video works. The Independent Cinema Office may be able to advise in respect of the showing of copyright film or video recordings in a community setting. 

Please note that the licensing authority has no involvement in these processes. 

You will need authority under the Licensing Act 2003 (premises licence, club premises certificate or temporary event notice) to sell alcohol, but you may also need to be licensed by HM Revenues & Customs, if you want to brew alcohol or distil alcohol and duty may need to be paid on any alcohol that you produce. In such circumstances you should also contact Environmental Health and Trading Standards for advice.

For information about licensing of gambling activities, including casinos, betting, bingo, gaming machines and lotteries, please see our gambling page.

Contacting the Licensing Team
Please note that these functions are administered by Southampton City Council's licensing team on behalf of Eastleigh Borough Council. 

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 023 8083 3002 (option 4, then option 1) 

Address
Licensing Team 
Southampton and Eastleigh Licensing Partnership 
Civic Centre 
Southampton 
SO14 7LY

Document Exchange: DX 115710 Southampton 17

Opening hours:
Members of the Licensing Team are normally available on weekdays at the Civic Centre, Southampton, from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 4pm to assist personal callers.