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 focused 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 or send an email to licensing@durham.gov.uk
Comments must be received by Friday 3rd May 2019.