Under the Licensing Act 2003 children and young people will normally have access to licensed premises unless there is a clear need for them not to. The protection of children from harm is one of the four licensing objectives that underpin the Licensing Act. Durham LSCB is the ‘Responsible Authority’ for safeguarding children and we are committed to working in partnership with statutory services, businesses and organisations to ensure that licensees take the right steps to safeguard children and young people.
What can licensees do to safeguard Children and Young People?
- Ensure age verification policy is operated such as Challenge 25 and maintain a refusal register
- Minimise the risk of proxy sales to ensure that alcohol is not purchased or obtained for young people by relatives or older friends (proxy provision)
- Train all staff to be aware of safeguarding issues including age verification and proxy sales
- Join your local Pub Watch
- Gain accreditation to the awards scheme ‘Best Bar None’ that promotes responsible management of alcohol-licensed premises
- Display signage about the laws relating to children and alcohol
- Do take action if you notice a child or young person in a vulnerable situation
Factsheet – Safeguarding for Licensees
This factsheet provides information and advice about a licensees responsibility to safeguard children in line with the Licensing Act 2003. It lists the range of measures Durham LSCB expect to see as part of any new licence application to ensure that licensees take the right steps to protect children. The factsheet can be found on our Newsletters and Factsheets page.
Review of Statement of Policy under the Licensing Act 2003
All licensing authorities must prepare and publish a statement of their licensing policy every five years. Our current policy which was published in 2014 must be reviewed this year. We will be developing a new policy over the coming months that will be adopted by the Council by the end of October 2019.
In carrying out that review, we want to consult with existing licensed premises and with organisations, persons and bodies representing responsible authorities, the public and most importantly, the licensed trade in our area.
As with the current policy, the new one will be focussed on the following four licensing objectives which the policy will seek to promote:
- The prevention of crime and disorder
- Public Safety
- The prevention of public nuisance
- The protection of children from harm
We believe that the Council’s licensing policy should benefit the operators of licensed premises and the public alike. Our policy will reflect and incorporate the freedoms and flexibility provided to the licensed trade and leisure industry by the Act. However, it is important that our licensing policy balances the legitimate needs of businesses in the county and the demand for leisure and cultural activities alongside the need to protect those who could be adversely affected by licensed premises.
We would very much like to hear your views in relation to our current licensing policy. We would welcome any suggestions you may wish to make that might lead to improvements in our policy for the coming five-year period.
To have your say on the policy you can let us know via the following link: http://www.durham.gov.uk/consultation
Alternatively, you may wish to respond by writing to me at the address given in this letter, marking your correspondence “Review of Licensing Policy” or send an email to licensing@durham.gov.uk Comments must be received by Friday 3rd May 2019.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Craig Rudman
Licensing Manager