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It is the local Promoter's responsibility to ensure that the venue or site is appropriately licensed and insured for your Live & Local event and this is a requirement within our Contract with you.
To the best of our knowledge, this information is correct. However, it is by no means comprehensive. Please contact your Local Authority or Hall Management on these matters if in doubt. Live & Local cannot accept any liability for the consequences of your Live & Local event being inappropriately licensed or insured.
A Premises License (under the Licensing Act 2003) is required to cover public entertainments, plays, film shows, indoor sporting events, performances of live music (‘regulated entertainment’) for events with an audience larger than 500 or between 11pm – 8am.
If you supply alcohol at your event the building will need a Premises License, even for events with audiences of less than 500 and between 8am – 11pm.
The Licensing Act 2003 encompasses both premises licensing and the provision of alcohol and makes both the responsibility of the Hall Management Committee. It also passed responsibility for alcohol licensing from magistrates’ courts to local authorities.
The Premises License authorises the use of a building or site for regulated entertainment such as plays, film shows, indoor sporting events, and performances of live music for events with an audience larger than 500 or between 11pm – 8am. The Premises Licence authorizes the use of a building or site for the supply of alcohol and the serving of food between 11pm and 5am. Some local authorities may attach conditions to the License.
For events with an audience larger than 500 or between 11pm – 8am or that supply of alcohol we recommend that your Premises License covers you for all likely future ‘regulated entertainment’ requirements, including ones that may not appear immediately relevant – this would be a one-off investment in your community's facilities.
The Premises Licence does not have to include provision for supply of alcohol and 'supply' does not necessarily mean 'sell'. To obtain permission for alcohol provision on a regular basis within your Premises Licence, some venues may require a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), who holds the National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders and whose application has been approved by the local authority. The DPS is personally responsible for the sale and provision of alcohol at an event, even when the hall is hired out to a third party who manages the proceedings at the event.
However, a new measure to help village halls and community halls came into force in July 2009. Instead of having to have a designated person apply for a personal licence, responsibility for the supervision of alcohol sales can, on application, fall to the management committee.
For halls with permission to supply alcohol already, the cost to apply for the committee to be collectively responsible will be £23 (2010) . For halls applying to sell alcohol for the first time, and wishing to apply for the committee to be collectively responsible, there will not be a fee in addition to the normal license application fee.
Premises can use the Temporary Event Notice (TEN) system either for regulated entertainment (if they do not have a Premises Licence at all, or one that covers the particular 'regulated entertainment') or purely to cover them for the provision of alcohol at an event (without requiring a Designated Premises Supervisor). Each venue has a limit of 12 Temporary Events Notices per calendar year. They cost approximately £20-£30 (please check with your local authority) and can cover a mix of regulated entertainment and provision of alcohol.
So, for example, if your current Premises Licence covers music but not plays or alcohol, you could use a TEN to temporarily extend your licence to cover a play where you want to serve alcohol during the interval.
NB It is serving a 'Notice' not an application for permission.
Where a separate trading organisation such as a Social Club exists, it will need to obtain a Club Premises Certificate. If it wishes to provide alcohol other than under its membership rules, the club will be subject to the same requirements as the village hall and other licensed premises.
Contact your Local Authority Licensing Officer. All licensing is vested in Local Authorities and Licensing Officers, including alcohol licences.
You must serve the Notice at least 10 clear days before your event.
Licences involve fire, building safety and hygiene requirements. The local fire prevention officer, police, environmental health and buildings control officer may visit the premises and make recommendations to be carried out before a licence is granted. They will look at structural safety, emergency lighting and Emergency Exit lights/routes amongst other things. You will have to provide a Certificate of Electrical safety from a suitably qualified electrician.
There is an exemption for village, church and community halls from the burden of paying fees for the Premises Licence itself, but no exemption from the process required. Fees for village halls providing alcohol will be based on the rateable value of the property and a fee will also be required for each Temporary Event Notice and for the Personal Licence.
IF IN DOUBT ABOUT LICENCES PHONE YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY LICENSING OFFICER
When you request a performance we cannot rely on potential TENs to cover the 'regulated entertainment' element of your event. (They are OK for the provision of alcohol element). Your Premises Licence should cover the regulated entertainment element. This is because of the uncertainty inherent in the system that relies on managements being in total control of only 12 TENs per year, when Live & Local is contracting companies up to a year ahead.
If you have any paid staff it is compulsory for the Management Committee to insure them and display the certificate on the premises.
Professional performing companies booked through Live & Local carry their own Public Liability and employee’s insurance.
However you need to ensure that the venue also has adequate Public Liability and Buildings insurance. Being incorrectly licensed may invalidate your Buildings or Public Liability insurance.
If you are using someone else's premises, you need to find out whether their Public Liability insurance extends to hirers/borrowers of the Hall. Some insurance companies will cover when the hirer/user is a non-profit making organisation. Strictly an organisation with a non-profit making constitution can of course make a 'profit' on an event. However, it is how and to whom that 'profit' is distributed that defines an organisation.
If in doubt, ask your Hall Committee or Manager.
To the best of our knowledge, this information is correct. However, it is by no means comprehensive. Please do contact your Local Authority or Hall Management on both these matters if in doubt. Live & Local cannot accept any liability for the consequences of your Live & Local event being inappropriately licensed or insured.
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