Yes, we know it’s only October, but now really is the time to start thinking about whether you need to give any Temporary Event Notices (TENs) for the festive period.
First, you’re going to want to have a think about what you want to do this year. What type of events will you be running? How will they differ from the norm? Will you be offering anything e.g. Live Music, that you don’t normally offer?
After that, have a look at your Premises Licence. Does it have the hours and licensable activities you need for what you want to do?
Next, you’ll want to have a look at whether your Premises Licence has any non-standard timings that would cover you in any event. These are usually to be found underneath the standard timings for licensable activities but can and do get shifted all over the place.
Finally, it is worth checking the conditions of your Premises Licence to make sure any additional permissions haven’t been squirrelled away there instead.
If nothing is jumping out at you then you may need to give a TEN or TENs.
But we haven’t even had Halloween yet, we hear you cry! We understand but when it comes to TENs for the festive period, and in particular for New Year’s Eve, the sooner really is the better. It may be an apocryphal tale but we heard tell of a Police Licensing Team that was instructed to object to all TENs received in late November/early December on the basis that there weren’t enough police! Lots of hearings ensued and it was an awful mess.
Licensing Authorities, their Environmental Health Teams and the local Police Licensing Teams are inundated with TEN application forms (the application, not the number) in December so why not get ahead of the curve? There are time limits for how late you can give a TEN but tellingly no limit on how far in advance you can give them.
If all this sounds a bit like hard work (and given the length of the form we fully understand you feeling that way) then please do not hesitate to get in touch with your usual Woods Whur contact and he or she will make sure you’re covered. We’ve got your back, meaning you’re free to enjoy the rest of the autumn knowing everything’s taken care of.