If the police take the view that the sale of alcohol is taking place in a premises which is associated with serious crime and/or serious disorder, they can apply for an expedited (also called ‘summary’) review.
The licensing authority can decide to take interim steps whilst waiting for a full review and these include ;
- modifying the conditions of the premises licence;
- excluding the sale of alcohol by retail (or other licensable activities) from the scope of the licence
- removing the designated premises supervisor from the licence
- suspending the licence.
An expedited review takes place very quickly after it is applied for: Within 48 hours, the authority must give the licence holder a copy of the application and decide what steps, if any, it wishes to take. These steps come into immediate effect and cannot be appealed, although the authority can be asked to reconsider them at a hearing. If the authority decides to keep the measures in place, no appeal is possible at this stage.
Within a further 28 days, the licensing authority must hold a full review and make a further decision on the licence. At this stage, the option of revoking the licence is also available.
Our solicitors have a great deal of experience at dealing with expedited reviews and can represent you in front of the licensing sub-committee.
If you should find your licence the subject of a review, you should take legal advice as soon as possible from an expert licensing solicitor as this is an extremely serious matter.
Law
