Licensing Boards Growing Focus on Ensuring Staff Can Get Home Safely
The new Licensing Board Policy statements which have recently been released have brought some significant changes to Licensing Policy across Scotland. A welcomed and notable new policy point highlighted in both Glasgow and Edinburgh is the importance of ensuring that staff members are able to get home safely from work, particularly when licensed premises […]
Glasgow’s New 1 am Pilot Scheme for On Sales Premises within The City Centre
The City of Glasgow Licensing Board published their new statement of licensing policy at the beginning of November 2023. The new statement has introduced some significant changes to licensing policy in Glasgow, one of the most notable changes being the introduction of a new 1am pilot scheme for pubs and bars within the city centre. […]
Licensing Board Policy Statements
Licensing Boards in Scotland have a statutory duty to publish their ‘statement of licensing policy’ every five years under The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Each individual Licensing Board is required to publish a policy statement before the beginning of each licensing policy period. The licensing policy period and, therefore, a statement of licensing policy, generally […]
Short-Term Lets in Scotland – Where Are We Now?
Scotland’s short-term let licensing scheme came into effect in October 2022 and has quickly became one of the most topical issues within the licensing sector. The scheme is mandatory for all short-term let accommodation across the country. In this article, we take a look at the aim behind the legislation and summarise the main points […]
Best Bar None Award Scheme Launches Across Scotland
The Best Bar None Scotland multi-agency scheme has now launched across Scotland for 2023. The scheme provides a national accreditation and was developed to improve standards and safety within Scotland’s hospitality industry. The aim is to promote positive relations and responsible management in the operation of licensed premises such as pubs, bars and nightclubs. […]
Glasgow Opening Hours for Pubs, Clubs, and Restaurants Extended During UCI Cycling World Championships
Glasgow’s Licensing Board has agreed to allow one additional hour from the terminal hour when the UCI Cycling World Championships 2023 takes place in August. The world’s biggest cycling event will take place in Glasgow and across Scotland this summer, with over 8000 cyclists from more than 120 countries set to participate. With the event […]
Sail Away With Me…
It may come as a surprise to many that it is possible to sell alcohol in Scotland without a licence – but only in very specific circumstances. For example, once you pass security at certain airports and are considered to be ‘airside’, the licence requirement falls and alcohol sales can take place at any […]
Changes to Glasgow outside seating consents for 2023
Glasgow City Council have recently confirmed there are two significant changes to temporary Street Café permits, also known as Section 59 consents. As of the end of March, planning permission will no longer be required as part of the application process due to changes to permitted development rights; and A new fee structure is […]
Restricting the advertisement and promotion of alcohol
The Scottish Government is currently consulting on potential proposals to restrict the promotion and advertisement of alcohol. There has already been pushback from companies in the drinks sector on the detrimental effects this could have on the trade, as it could heavily restrict advertising and promotion of alcohol. What is driving the Scottish Government […]
Licensing Board Policy Consultations 2022/2023
The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 sets out that Licensing Boards are required to publish their licensing policy every five years and the process usually takes place in the months following the Local Government elections. The purpose of this policy is to provide licensing applicants, community members and other interested parties with an indication of how […]