Personal Licence Renewals - Latest Update

The Government has today issued guidance to both Licensing Authorities and personal licence holders concerning the requirement or not to renew personal licences.

We have previously updated on the "will you; won't you" question of renewal. Legislation is currently going through Parliament to remove the requirement for renewal but what is clear is that this will not come into force before the first licences fall for renewal and the information we have is that the relevant Bill is currently stuck in the ‘Report stage' until late January at the earliest. Further with the General Election next year, who knows what will eventually happen!

The documents of advice can be viewed by clicking on the links below:

Fact Sheet for Licensing Authorities on Personal Licences

Fact Sheet for personal licence holders

Letter to licensing authorities personal licences

Of particular note are the following:

• A form will need completing, but the form cannot be produced until secondary legislation is approved, so we have not a definite timescale.
• It may not be necessary to send your original personal licence to the Licensing Authority as part of the process, but this is an individual decision for each Licensing Authority.
• No council fee will be charged for the renewal process.
• No new photographs will required
• No criminal convictions certificate, criminal records certificate or results of a subject access search of the Police National Computer will be needed.

However, the requirement to notify Licensing Authority of relevant or foreign offences committed by the personal licence holder remains as per the current law.

There is still much detail that needs to be provided on the process, but what we cannot stress too strongly is that all should make preparations to deal with renewals, certainly for those licences due for renewal in the early/middle part of 2015 - and perhaps beyond.