Following representations by North East Herts MP Oliver Heald, including Parliamentary Questions to the Minister, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed that it is willing to consider introducing flexibility for charities and voluntary organisations on the notice period required for Temporary Event Notices under the Licensing Act 2003.
The issue had come to light during the course of Oliver’s Constituency work, where a number of charities and voluntary bodies had accidentally failed to get their applications in for a licence within ten working days of the event, leading to them not being able to serve alcohol or have entertainment. Oliver considered this harsh when events were low risk. North Hertfordshire District Council had also made representations to Oliver that more flexibility was needed.
Commenting, Oliver Heald said, “I do not see why low risk licensing events organised by local voluntary groups should be refused unnecessarily. I am glad that the Minister is prepared to consider more flexibility and that there will be a consultation before the year’s end.”
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Notes to Editors:
Licensing Act 2003
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will consider the introduction of a more flexible time limit for the granting of temporary event notices under the Licensing Act 2003; [294470]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of voluntary organisations which did not submit temporary event notice applications under the Licensing Act 2003 within the 10 day time limit in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; [294471]
(3) if he will consider the merits of amending the Licensing Act 2003 to allow a temporary event notice to be granted when the required period of notice has not been given, subject to terms and conditions. [294472]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is indeed willing to consider the introduction of some flexibility on the period of notice required for a temporary event notice (TEN) under the Licensing Act 2003. We are currently developing a proposal, in discussion with a group of stakeholders, that would give the police discretion to validate a TEN for an event that they consider to be low-risk when that TEN was otherwise invalid because it was issued without the minimum notice. We hope to commence a three-month consultation on this proposal, along with other simplification proposals, before the end of the year.
We do not hold figures on the number of voluntary organisations that did not submit TENs within the 10 day time limit. However, the consultation will include an impact assessment containing a broad estimate of the number of events that may be affected by the proposed change, and the estimated economic impact. The consultation will invite comment on these estimates.