Club Premises Certificates
Licence summary
To authorise the supply of alcohol and regulated entertainment in a qualifying club you need a club premises certificate from the Licensing Authority. In a qualifying club there is technically no sale by retail of alcohol (except to guests) as the member owns part of the alcohol stock and the money passing across the bar is merely a mechanism to preserve equity between members where one may consume more than another. In order to constitute a qualifying club you must also satisfy the various requirements set out in the Licensing Act 2003.
Eligibility Criteria
Clubs must be qualifying clubs. A qualifying club has general conditions it must satisfy. These are:
- a person may not be given memberships or as a candidate for membership to any membership privileges without an interval of at least two days from their membership application or nomination and their membership being granted;
- that club rules state that those becoming member without nomination or application cannot have membership privileges for at least two days between them becoming members and being admitted to the club;
- that the club is established and conducted in good faith;
- that the club has at least 25 members;
- that alcohol is only supplied to members on the premises on behalf or by the club.
Additional conditions in relation to the supply of alcohol must be complied with. These conditions are:
- that alcohol purchased for and supplied by the club is done by members of club who are over 18 years of age and are elected to do so by the members;
- that no person at the expense of the club receives any commission, percentage or other similar payment in regard to the purchase of alcohol by the club;
- that there are no arrangements for anyone to receive a financial benefit from supplying alcohol, apart from any benefit to the club or to any person indirectly from the supply giving a gain from running the club.
Registered industrial and provident societies and friendly societies will qualify if the alcohol purchased for and supplied by the club is done under the control of the members or a committee of members.
Relevant miners' welfare institutes can also be considered. A relevant institute is one that is managed by a committee or board that consists of at least two thirds of people appointed or elevated by one or more licensed operators under the Coal Industry Act 1994 and by one or more organisations who represent coal mine employees. The institute can be managed by the committee or board where the board cannot be made up as detailed above but is made up of at least two thirds of members who were employed or are employed in or around coal mines and also by people who were appointed by the Coal Industry Welfare Organisation or by a body who had similar functions under the Miners' Welfare Act 1952. In any case the premises of the institute must be held on a trust as required under the Recreational Charities Act 1958.
Regulation Summary
A summary of the regulations relating to Club Premises Certificates are available by clicking here.
Application Evaluation Process
A club can apply for a club premises certificate for any premises which are occupied and used regularly for club purposes.
Applications should be made to the Licensing Authority.
New or variation applications should be submitted with a plan of the premises which must be in a specific format, a copy of the rules of the club and a club operating schedule. The specification for the plans is available here.
A club operating schedule is a document which must be in a specific format and which includes information on:
- the activities of the club;
- the times the activities are to take place;
- other opening times;
- if alcohol supplies are for consumption on or off the premises or both;
- the steps that the club propose to take to promote the licensing objectives;
- any other information that is required.
For new, provisonal statements or full variation applications a notice must be displayed on the premises for a period of 28 consecutive days starting from the day after the day the application is made to the Licensing Authority. The Notice must be to the specified size and colour (light blue).
A notice must also be displayed in a local newspaper circulating in the area to which the premises relate. The notice must contain the same information as the notice on the premises. It must be displayed in the newspaper within 10 days from the day the application is made. The notice only has to appear once in the local paper. Please note that if the requirements of these notices are not met the Licensing Authority may require you to re-advertise and the 28 day consultation period will recommence.
A notice is also required for a minor variation application. The notice must meet the statutory requirements and be no smaller than A4 size on white paper. However, unlike full variations the consultation period is reduced for these applications. The notice has to be displayed on the premises for a period of 10 consecutive days from the day after the application is made. No newspaper public notice is required for minor variations. Further guidance issued by the government on minor variations is available here.
The authority has produced a template for the public notices which can be downloaded and completed electronically.
- New club premises certificate application public notice template.
- Variation (full) of a club premises certificate licence public notice template.
- Variation (minor) of a club premises certificate licence public notice template.
A statutory fee is payable upon application. To view the Licensing Act 2003 fees click here. The minor variation fee of £89.
The Secretary of State has produced Guidance under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003. To view this guidance click here. The Licensing Authority when considering any application will have regard to this guidance.
As a requirement of the Act the Licensing Authority has produced a Licensing Policy that will be used by the authority when determining applications. To view the Council's Licensing Policy click here.
Will Tacit Consent Apply?
Yes - for the following applications made online and is unopposed at the end of the consultation period. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from the local authority by the end of the target completion period. The Council's target completion period for Licxensing Act 2003 premises licence applications are listed below:
New, provisional and full variation applications - 40 days
All other application types* - 30 days
*Minor variation applications will not be given tacit authorisation as by law they will be automatically refused if the authority has not determined the application after 15 days from receipt.
Apply Online
You can apply for a new premises licence, provisional statement or interest in a licensed premises, or vary an existing licnece please click on the relevant link below.
- Appication for a new club premises certificate.
- Application to vary a club premises certificate (full).
- Application to vary a club premises certificate (minor).
- Notification of change of name or alterations of rules of club
The government has prodcued guidance to applicants for online applications made under the Licensing Act 2003 which is available here. The applicant is not required to send copies of their application to responsible authorities if the application is made using the online application process.
NOTE: Please note that when you click on one of the above links you will be redirected to the governments Business Link website. If you don't have a Government Gateway account you will need to create one before you can proceed to the relevant form. If you already have a Government Gateway account you will be invited to log in prior to completing the application. This account is necessary as it will ensure that your details are pulled through to the relevant form and will enable you to track your applications once they've been submitted.
Apply Via Post
If you wish to apply for a new premises licence, provisional statement or interest in a licensed premises, or vary an existing licnece please download the relevant form below and complete them in full.
- Appication for a new club premises certificate.
- Application to vary a club premises certificate (full).
- Application to vary a club premises certificate (minor).
- Declaration for a club premises certificate to be granted.
Once they have been completed they must be sent to the licensing authority, accompanied by the relevant fee and any required documentation at the address:
Licensing Service, Westminster City Hall, 4th Floor, 64 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QP.
Please note that unlike online applications the applicant is required to send copies of their applications to the relevant responsible authorities. The table below details which responsible authorities must receive copies of the application form.
| Application | Responsible Authority to be consulted |
|---|---|
| New club premises certificate | All |
| Variation of a club premises certificate | All |
| Variation of a club premises certificate | None* |
| Notification of change or alteration of rules of club | None |
| *The licenisng authority will consult those responsible authorities it considers necessary. |
The addresses for all of the responsible authorities are available here.
If you have any questions relating to the application process or how to complete the forms please contact the Licensing Service on 020 7641 8549 or email general.licensing@westminster.gov.uk.
Register
A public register is available online. If you wish to view the Council's online register click here. You can also view a copy of the register at the Council's Offices during normal office hours. To make an appointment to view the register please contact the Licensing Service on 020 7641 8548 or alternatively email licensing.vsw1@westminster.gov.uk..
Failed Application Redress
Please contact the Licensing Authority in the first instance.
A failed applicant will receive notice of the refusal of an application for a certificate or variation of a certificate from the Licensing Authority.
If an application is rejected, the applicant may appeal the decision.
Appeals must be made to the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court, 70 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AX within 21 days of the decision.
Licence Holder Redress
Please contact the Licensing Authority in the first instance.
If the Licensing Authority refuses an application for a variation the licence holder may appeal the decision. A licence holder can appeal against a decision to put conditions on a certificate or to exclude any club activity. Appeals may also be made against the variation of any condition.
Appeals against the decision of a review can be made.
A club may appeal against the withdrawing of a certificate.
Appeals must be made to the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court, 70 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AX within 21 days of the decision appealed.
Consumer Complaint
We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you - preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery). If that has not worked, if you are located in the UK, Consumer Direct will give you advice. From outside the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.
A club member may request a review of the certificate. The Licensing Authority will give reasons for their response to the application in a notice.
Appeals against the decision of a review can be made.
Appeals must be made to the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court within 21 days of the decision appealed.
Other Redress
Any interested party may make representations to the Licensing Authority within the statutory consultation period (not applicable for all application types) period before the certificate is determined or before amendments to a certificate are determined. If representations are made a hearing will be held to consider the application and the representations. Notices will be issued by the Licensing Authority detailing the reasons for any outcome. Interested parties who made representations will receive notice of the decision.
An interested party is:
- a person living near the premises or a body representing such a person;
- a person involved in a business near the premises or a body representing such a person.
An interested party may request a review of the club premises certificate. The Licensing Authority will give reasons for their response to the application in a notice.
An interested party may appeal if they argue that a certificate should not have been granted or that different or additional conditions or limitations on activities should have been made. They may also appeal against any variation of a condition.
Appeals against the decision of a review can also be made.
Appeals must be made to the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court, 70 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AX within 21 days of the decision appealed.
If there is a concern about noise, pollution, etc please contact Westminster City Council's Environmental Action Line on 020 7641 2000 (24 hrs) or email environmentalactionline@westminster.gov.uk. Also should any person have a complaint relating to a licensed premises or suspect a premises is operating without the required licence please contact the Council's Licensing Inspectors on 020 7641 3385 or email premiseslicensinginspectorate@westminster.gov.uk.
Trade Associations
Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations (FLVA)
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