Licensing Fees

• Taking your instructions and advising on how the licensing objectives can be promoted within the application.
• Advising on the type of plans required for submission with the application.
• Arranging a designated premises supervisor consent form for signature by a personal licence holder proposed by you.
• Completing the application form, including the operating schedule in accordance with your instructions and submitting all the required paperwork to the local licensing authority. Please note that suitable plans must be provided.
• Providing guidance on the fee levels payable to the licensing authority.
• Up to a total of one hour’s liaison and negotiation with responsible authorities and/or other interested parties. This can be during the pre-application or the 28-day statutory notice period.
• Arranging and advising on the notice advertising the application. Advice includes where and how this should be done to comply with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003
• Preparation of statutory notice and organising its publication in a local newspaper.
• Checking the licence once it is granted. Returning it to the local authority for amendment if necessary and forwarding it to you.
• Reporting to the you throughout the matter.

• Disbursements (including local authority application fees).
• Advice on and drafting of licensing provisions within in a lease.
• Site visits and meetings.
• Travel costs, parking and accommodation.
• Preapplication investigation and advice of premises previous licensing history, background and likelihood of application success.
• Liaison or meeting with responsible authorities or other interested parties, including the police, before submission of the application documentation. This includes any fees charged by these authorities for attending such meetings.
• Liaison and negotiation with responsible authorities and/or other interested parties during the 28-day consultation period exceeding one hour.
• Advice on a contested application after the end of consultation period. Any preparation for a hearing, as well as attendance at a hearing. This includes obtaining Counsel’s advice, witness statements or other evidence.

These disbursements may vary depending on the individual premises and where it is located.

• Local authority application fee (dependent on rateable value) - £100 - £635
• Newspaper advert fee - approximately £150 – £400 (+20% VAT of £30 - £80)
• Process server fee (if required) to post up and check notices - £100 - £1300 (+20% VAT of £20 - £260)
• Counsel’s and expert witness fees – can range between £100 - £5,000 (+20% VAT of £20 - £100) dependant on the complexity of the individual matter.

The fees can, on occasion be higher than the ranges given above. We will give you an accurate figure for each item as soon as we are able to do so.

A fee will be agreed with you at the outset of a matter based on the information set out above. Any increase due to the matter becoming more complex than expected will be discussed and agreed with you before additional work is undertaken.

For all applications we recommend that you contact us as early as possible. Generally we expect a timeframe of around 3 months from instructing us to the conclusion of the matter.

The statutory timescale for an application for new premises licence or full variation of existing licence is 28 days. This is from sending in the paperwork to the licensing authority to final grant of the new licence or variation. In this case we would anticipate that the matter can be concluded within 6 weeks or 2 months. This is on the basis that you can supply all the required documentation without delay and that the application is a relatively straightforward one.

There are factors that can delay the grant of the application. These include pre-application enquiries, representations and negotiation with responsible authorities/interested parties during the statutory 28-day notice period and any contested hearing.

Either an agreed fee or hourly rate of £200 (+20% VAT of £40) will be charged for other general licensing advice. This may include:

• advising on licensing clauses in leases,
• operating procedures,
• preparing risk assessments, statutory notices and documentation,
• setting up and providing staff training documentation/sessions.