CHANGES TO LICENSING LAW –APRIL 2012

In April 2012 the Government introduced the first changes through the Police Reform and Social       Responsibility Act 2011.

The changes that have an immediate impact on the licensed trade are:

Tempory Event

TENs – The permitted hours of a TEN are extending to a maximum of 168 hours (7 days) and there is also a limited facility for late submission of an application (with only 5 days notice). Also Environmental Health can now object to a TEN on the grounds of potential Noise Nuisance.

PERSISTENT UNDERAGE SALES – The maximum fine for persistent underage sales is doubling to £20,000 and the voluntary closure period is increasing from 48 hrs to 336hrs (2 weeks)

NON PAYMENT OF ANNUAL FEES – Councils must suspend a premises licence until fees are paid.

RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITIES - The Primary Care Trust and the Licensing Authority are to be added as Responsible Authorities. You will have to send additional copies of applications to them so they can make representations.

There are also a number of other provisions that could affect licensees included in the Act.

Full details can be found by following these Home Office links:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/legislation/police-reform-bill/

 &

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/alcohol-drugs/alcohol/alcohol-proposals-factsheet/

Later in the year further parts of the Act will be brought in, including, the Late Night Levy and Early Morning Restriction Orders.  Details to follow.

The awards presentations.

Guests dance the night away to the fantastic Re-Take That

The awards night, which rewards the licensees for the safe and responsible management of licensed premises, saw venues from across the borough reap the benefits for their hard work.

More than 300 licensees and guests attended the night, which was hosted by Doncaster radio station Sine FM and sponsored by Heineken, Diagio, Britvic and Highfield ABC. A charity auction on the night raised £2500, which will be donated to The Aurora Centre.

The overall 2012 Doncaster Best Bar None Winners award went to CoCo Ice and was presented by Mayor of Doncaster Peter Davies. The Bawtry Cocktail Bar also scooped the award for Best Bar in the South and East of Doncaster.

John Walch, who owns CoCo Ice said: “This award is a great honour for CoCo Ice and reflects the hard work put in by my staff over the last 12 months. I believe that well trained staff are the backbone of any business and this philosophy has paid off. Bawtry has a thriving night life, with visitors travelling from all over South Yorkshire and beyond and this award now makes us the jewel in Bawtry’s crown”.

Mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davies, opened the awards night, and said afterwards: “I’d like to congratulate everyone who’s taken part in Best Bar None, especially the individual award winners who’ve proven that they’ve gone the extra mile. Doncaster Best Bar None has been voted the best in the country so these winners are the best of the best. I’m pleased to see the Best Bar None scheme celebrating the most responsible licensed establishments in Doncaster.”

The standards of the venues and the positive attitude of the licencees means that Doncaster continues to develop its reputation as the region ‘ s premier night time destination.

Chief Inspector Ian Bint, chairman of the tactical violent crime group for Doncaster said: “Violent crime in the town centre has reduced by over 50% since the Best Bar none scheme started in 2006. Working with responsible and trained staff has been a key element of that success and we fully support Best Bar None. Congratulations to the winners, you deserve it.”

Last year’s overall winners Manana Manana again won the Best Bar award and the events hosts Doncaster Racecourse won the 2012 Best Leisure Venue award. The Salutation was crowned the Best Pub and the Community Pub award went to The Dog Daisy in Mexborough.

There are also additional media awards, which are voted for by the public. The Doncaster Free Press award for “Friendliest Atmosphere” went to The Dog Daisy at Mexborough with over 50% of the votes.

The efforts of Doncaster doorstaff were also rewarded with a “Best on Door” award Sponsored by Sine FM and Full Effex Security, the winner of this was The Priory.

The Aurora Centre, has now been helping cancer sufferers for over 10 years.  Although originally based within Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Aurora were able to open a new Centre in Mexborough Montagu Hospital in 2007, and most recently Bassetlaw Hospital, where they now offer the same facilities as at Doncaster.  Plans are also currently underway to open a new well-being centre in Worksop.

Some items in the raffle remain unclaimed so below is a full list of prizes and ticket numbers.  Please contact BBN to claim your prize.

 Best Bar None and The Aurora Centre would like to thank everyone who took part for their kind contributions.

A Doncaster scheme that supports and recognises licensees for the safe and responsible management of licensed premises has been named ‘Most Innovative Scheme’ in the UK at the 4thAnnual National Best Bar None Practitioners Conference on 17th November

The project in Doncaster was up against 95 other Best Bar None schemes from areas around the country and picked up the first prize, which was presented by Lord Redesdale, the chairman of National BBN.

Training packages run by Doncaster Council were singled out for recognition and over the last year 38 courses have been run, with almost 600 staff receiving training. The BBN training packages are run in conjunction HABC the Doncaster based awarding body who have supported the scheme for a number of years.

At the conference it was also announced that a number new projects have been launched to help new and existing BBN schemes overcome any obstacles that they encounter. Doncaster Council were asked to share best practice, knowledge and experience with others in the new ‘Buddy’ scheme, which will mentor new schemes and a Best Bar None helpline to assist schemes to move forward.

Councillor Cynthia Ransome, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in Best Bar None in Doncaster. The team work extremely hard to make this project a big success and the awards that keep coming show how well Best Bar None is run and how important it is for the town’s night-time economy.”

Chief Inspector Ian Bint said: “This is a great achievement for the BBN scheme and shows the dedication of the staff involved. Violent crime in Doncaster town centre is at its lowest ever level and I have no doubt that the standards set by best bar none are a significant factor, well done to everyone involved.”