"Entitled to Work?" - Premises Licence revoked following immigration visits

A Premises Licence for a restaurant in Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex was revoked following a Review hearing by Rother District Council.

This is a timely reminder for operators to make sure their own internal procedures, regarding their employees, are up to date and accurate.

The licensed premises had initial difficulties following raids by Sussex Police and the Home Office in October ’17 and January ’18 where it was found a number of kitchen staff had no permission to work and no legal basis to remain in the United Kingdom.

The restaurant owner was fined £15,000 for hiring illegal workers.

It did not end there for the business, a review of the Premises Licence followed.  

At a recent hearing, it was reported that The Licensing Sub Committee were satisfied that the licensing objectives were being undermined by the business. The committee were not confident that the management of the licensed premises would change its methodology in response to the employment of individuals for the company.

Clearly both the financial penalty and the revocation of the Premises Licence will have a devastating effect on the business.

Operators should ensure that they retain a high level of due diligence on those that they employ at their premises, otherwise the business could be at risk of similar penalties.

If you require any advice regarding your Premises Licence, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team on 0114 2668664.