Guidance

User guide to alcohol and late night refreshment licensing statistics

Updated 24 October 2024

Applies to England and Wales

Statistics in the Alcohol licensing, England and Wales publication are based on information from licensing authorities (LAs). Data is collected in line with the Licensing Act 2003 (‘the 2003 Act’).

1. Content and use of the statistics

1.1 What the statistics include

The statistics include data on:

1.2 What these statistics do not include

Data on the number of public houses is not included as these are not legally defined in the 2003 Act (the Act defines activities rather than premises types). Instead, information is collected on the number of premises licences and club premises certificates that authorise:

• alcohol on-sales (selling or supplying alcohol for consumption on the premises)
• alcohol off-sales (selling or supplying alcohol for consumption off the premises)
• both on-sales and off-sales of alcohol

A premises with a premises licence or club premises certificate authorised to sell or supply alcohol, provide late night refreshment or provide regulated entertainment, might not provide that service. For example, a premises authorised to sell alcohol might not sell alcohol.

Regulated entertainment licensing is not covered in these statistics as it is the responsibility of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

To minimise the administrative burden on LAs, the Home Office did not collect data for the years ending 31 March 2011 and 31 March 2015. A public consultation on alcohol and late night refreshment licensing statistics was held in October 2018, and in response it was decided that data would be collected from licensing authorities (LAs) every other year using a reduced questionnaire. This reduced the burden on LAs whilst ensuring the continuity of key headline statistics. Data for the year ending 31 March 2020 was not collected due to COVID-19.

The Home Office response to the 2018 Alcohol and late night refreshment licensing statistics consultation provides information on how data is collected in response to the user consultation in 2018.

1.3 Use of the statistics

Uses of the statistics on alcohol licensing are listed using the standard categorisation for Official Statistics.

1.3.1 Informing the general public’s choices

To inform the public about the state of the economy, society and government

Changes in the type of premises licences applied for and granted can indicate the strength of the economy and where people are choosing to drink alcohol (for example, the numbers of licences for consumption on the premises compared with for consumption off the premises).

To inform the public about the performance of government and public bodies

This includes whether LAs are using the powers available to them, and whether the decision-making process is working properly (for example, the number of appeals). Figures can show how LAs play a part in the review process; for example by showing how many reviews each LA completes. Figures allow LAs to benchmark themselves against similar authorities.

1.3.2 Government policy making and monitoring

Government policy making

The figures were used to help with policy development of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, to clarify the process for summary reviews and to put cumulative impact policies on a statutory footing. They were also used in determining that the increased TENs allowances which the Business and Planning Act 2020 brought in should not be made permanent. Home Office officials are able to identify from the statistics which LAs have used these powers and work with them in order to develop policy and legislative changes.

Government policy monitoring

The government uses the statistics to monitor powers used by LAs. For example, the number of late night levies and cumulative impact areas in place, and the number of premises that took advantage of a regulatory easement in the Business and Planning Act 2020.

1.3.3 Facilitating academic research

The statistics are used by academia and for research purposes, for example to assess the use and effectiveness of cumulative impact areas and to track trends in the availability of alcohol.

2. Legislations and regulations

Under the Licensing Act 2003, LAs must always promote the statutory licensing objectives. These are:

• the prevention of crime and disorder
• the prevention of public nuisance
• public safety
• the protection of children from harm

The 2003 Act removed fixed closing times which provides businesses with the opportunity to open 24-hours day, 7 days a week, subject to obtaining the requisite licence. The possession of a 24-hour licence does not necessarily mean that the premises will choose to operate for 24 hours.

3. Types of authorisation

There are 3 types of licences under the 2003 Act which can be used to authorise licensable activities: premises licences, club premises certificates and temporary event notices (TENs).

3.1 Premises licences

A premises licence details the operating conditions which can be used for:

• the sale of alcohol (for consumption on the premises (on-sales), off the premises (off-sales), or both)
• the provision of regulated entertainment
• the provision of late night refreshment

The conditions within the licence regulate the use of the premises for licensable activities in line with the licensing objectives. A premises licence is subject to an annual renewal fee, and is valid unless the licence is revoked or surrendered, or the applicant has requested a licence for a limited period.

Representations (concerning the promotion of the licensing objectives) may be made about an application for the grant or variation of a premises licence by responsible authorities including the police, local environmental health authority, local fire and rescue service, local public health body, and others.

3.2 Club premises certificates

Club premises certificates are used by members of qualifying clubs. These are usually for particular social, sporting or political purposes (such as the Royal British Legion, golf or cricket clubs). A club premises certificate authorises a ‘qualifying club’ to carry out ‘qualifying club activities’, such as the purchase and supply of alcohol and the provision of regulated entertainment, by members, for members or guests of the club. This can include time-limited certificates. A qualifying club must be established and conducted in good faith as a club, must have at least 25 members, and cannot supply alcohol to members on the premises other than by or on behalf of the club.

As with premises licences, representations (concerning the promotion of the licensing objectives) may be made about an application for the grant or variation of a premises licence by responsible authorities including the police, local environmental health authority, local fire and rescue service, local public health body, and others.

However, unlike premises licences, there is no requirement for a designated premises supervisor (DPS) or personal licence holder to oversee alcohol supplies (see ‘personal licences’ below). Instead, the typical duties of a DPS will normally be carried out by the person with day-to-day responsibility for running the club premises. A club premises certificate grants the authority to provide late night refreshment to members of the club without requiring additional authorisation, and there are certain restrictions on rights of entry to a club by the police.

3.3 Temporary event notices (TENs)

TENs temporarily allow licensable activities without a premises licence or other authorisation. A TEN can be used for:

• licensable activities which are not authorised by an existing premises licence or club premises certificate
• one-off events that are being organised on non-licensed premises

Unlike for premises licence applications, there is no right to an appeal hearing. The licensing authority may decide that an event cannot take place if it receives objections from the police or the local environmental health authority.

There are restrictions on the number of TENs an individual can give in a year and the number of events that can be held under a TEN each year on individual premises. Personal licence holders may give up to 50 TENs in a calendar year, as long as the annual limit of 15 TENs for a single premises is not exceeded. In January 2022, the number of TENs that a single premises may give in a calendar year increased from 15 to 20 for the calendar years of 2022 to 2023. The maximum total duration of events authorised by TENs for an individual premises also increased from 21 to 26 days for the calendar years 2022 and 2023. On 1 January 2024, limits returned to 15 per calendar year, with a maximum total duration of 21 days.

3.4 Personal licences

Under a premises licence (section 19 of the 2003 Act), there must be at least one person with a personal licence to authorise every sale of alcohol. Personal licences are granted by an LA to a person to allow them to supply, or authorise the supply of alcohol, under a premises licence.

Sales of alcohol may not be made under a premises licence unless there is a designated premises supervisor (DPS) for the premises who must hold a personal licence (other than in the case of a community premises that has successfully applied to remove this requirement).

4. Glossary

Appeals - This includes the number of appeals against the application decision and separate appeals against the licence review decision.

Closure notice (premises licence) - Where a premises was prohibited (no longer able) to sell alcohol following a notice under section 169A of the Licensing Act 2003 (the 2003 Act) or under section 76 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Club premises certificate - Authorising a qualifying club to carry out ‘qualifying club activities’ under the 2003 Act. This includes time-limited certificates.

Completed reviews - An LA can be asked to review a licence if its effects are having a negative impact on the licensing objectives. These include reviews where the LA notified parties of its decision in the time period specified and do not include applications for a review that was withdrawn or did not go to a hearing. These include completed reviews of premises licences, following an application for the review under section 51 of the 2003 Act or following an application for an expedited/summary review under section 53A (which was led by the police) and reviews following closure under section 80 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (which would also be led by the police).

Cumulative impact area - Often referred to as cumulative impact policies or zones, these are areas where a special policy (within an LA’s overall statement of licensing policy) applies. LAs may introduce such a policy where there is evidence that the number, type or density of licensed premises is leading to problems that are stopping the promotion of licensing objectives. These special policies mean that applications for the grant or variation of premises licences or club premises certificates which are likely to add to the existing cumulative impact, will normally be refused or have certain limitations, following relevant representations.

Designated premises supervisor (DPS) - This will normally be the person who has been given day-to-day responsibility for running the premises by the premises licence holder. Every premises licence that authorises the sale of alcohol is required under the 2003 Act to have a DPS who must be a personal licence holder. The only exception is for community premises which have made a successful application to the LA to be exempt from the requirement.

Expedited or summary review - A police chief officer can apply for an expedited or summary review of a premises licence if there are concerns about serious crime and or serious disorder under section 53A of the 2003 Act. Expedited review powers allow the police to trigger a fast-track process to review a premises licence and the LA to respond by taking interim steps quickly, where appropriate, pending a full review, which must take place within 28 days. Expedited review powers were introduced on 1 October 2007. They apply only where a premises licence authorises the sale of alcohol. They do not apply to other premises licences, or to those operating under a club premises certificate. The purpose of the powers is to complement existing procedures in the 2003 Act for tackling crime and disorder associated with licensed premises.

Fee bands - Each premises licence and club premises certificate fee, including major variations to licences or certificates, falls into a band based on its non-domestic rateable value. Fees range from £100 to £1,900 depending on the band.

Forfeited (personal licence) - Forfeiture of a personal licence following a court order under section 129 of the 2003 Act (and where that order has not been suspended, pending an appeal under section 129(4) or 130 of the Act).

Hearing - Hearings are used for determining applications when an objection has been raised by any party. Hearings can be for applications for premises licences, club premises certificates, provisional statements, variations of premises licences and club premises certificates, and for temporary event notices (TENs). The hearings figures in this release do not include applications for a change of DPS, transfer of a premises licence, review, or cancellation of interim authority notices following police objections that went to a hearing.

Lapsed (premises licence) - This is where a premises licence has lapsed (ended), for example because of the death, incapacity or insolvency of the licence holder, as set out under section 27 of the 2003 Act. This does not include instances where a premises licence was temporary and the period has since ended (for example, one-off events).

Late night levy - This is a discretionary power that LAs can use under section 119 of the 2011 Act. The late night levy (charge) is paid by premises licensed to sell alcohol late at night, to raise a contribution to the costs of policing the late night economy and apply for a specified period between 12am and 6am. In 2023 legislative provisions were commenced under section 142 of the Policing and Crime Act 2017 relating to the late-night levy. Late night levies no longer need to cover the entire area of an LA.

Late night refreshment - The provision of hot food or hot drink to the public, for consumption on or off the premises, between 11pm and 5am, or the supply of hot food or hot drink to any persons between those hours on or from premises to which the public has access.

Late night refreshment exemptions - Changes introduced by the Deregulation Act 2015 allow LAs to exempt premises, in certain circumstances, from the requirement to have a licence to provide late night refreshment. These circumstances include, if it takes place either:

• on or from premises which are wholly in a designated area (introduced October 2015)
• on or from premises which are of a designated description (introduced November 2015)
• during a designated period beginning no earlier than 11pm and ending no later than 5am (introduced October 2015)

Licensing authority (LA) - Responsible for the licensing of the sale and supply of alcohol, regulated entertainment and late night refreshment.

Licensing authority area - The geographical area where an LA exercises its functions under the 2003 Act.

Licensing authority type - There are 6 main licensing authority types which share similar characteristics, such as size: unitary authorities; metropolitan districts; district authorities; Welsh unitary authorities; London boroughs; and unspecified (Inner Temple and Middle Temple within Greater London).

Licensing objectives - The prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm.

Minor variation (to licence or certificate) - Applications made under section 41A or section 86A of the 2003 Act to make low-risk changes to the terms of a premises licence or club premises certificate which cannot impact on the licensing objectives. The fee for a minor variation is £89.

Multiplier - Multipliers are applied to premises used exclusively or primarily for the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises under the authorisation of a premises licence (fee bands D and E only).

No fee applicable - There is no fee for a premises licence or a club premises certificate authorised for regulated entertainment in educational institutions, church halls, village halls, parish halls, community halls or similar buildings. Whilst a fee may not be applicable, the premises licence or club premises certificate may still have a fee band, unless one has not been assigned.

Off-sales - The sale or supply of alcohol for consumption off the premises.

On-sales - The sale or supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises.

Personal licence - Authorising an individual to supply or authorise the supply of alcohol in accordance with a premises licence under the 2003 Act. The application fee for a personal licence is £37.

Premises licence - Authorising premises to be used for the sale of alcohol, the provision of regulated entertainment or the provision of late night refreshment under the 2003 Act. This includes time-limited premises licences (also see full description in section 3.1).

Qualifying club - There are a number of criteria which must be met to be a qualifying club with a club premises certificate. These are:

• that under the rules of the club, persons may not become members or be considered for membership or use any privileges of membership without at least 2 days between their nomination for membership and their admission
• that the club is established and conducted in good faith as a club
• that the club has at least 25 members
• that alcohol is not supplied to members on the premises otherwise than by or on behalf of the club

Revoked (personal licence) - a personal licence may be revoked (cancelled) if a licensing authority becomes aware that the licence holder has been convicted of a relevant offence, a foreign offence or required to pay a civil immigration penalty before or after the licence was granted, under section 124 of the 2003 Act.

Spiking - Spiking can take many forms. The following examples are within the range of behaviours that would be considered spiking. This list is not exhaustive:

• putting alcohol into someone’s drink without their knowledge or permission
• putting prescription or illegal drugs into an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink without their knowledge or permission
• injecting another person with prescription or illegal drugs without their knowledge or permission
• putting prescription or illegal drugs into another person’s food without their knowledge or permission
• putting prescription or illegal drugs into another person’s cigarette or vape without their knowledge or permission

Surrender (of licence) - If the holder of a licence wishes to surrender the licence, this can be done under section 28 (for a premises licence), section 81 (for a club premises certificate) and section 116 (for a personal licence).

Surrender by the court (personal licence) - Suspension following a court order under section 129 of the 2003 Act (and where that order has not been suspended, pending an appeal under section 129(4) or section 130 of the Act).

Suspended by the court (premises licence) - A power under section 147B of the 2003 Act (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) to suspend a licence for the sale of alcohol, following an offence of persistently selling to underage children.

Temporary event notice (TEN) - A notice under section 100 of the 2003 Act, used to authorise licensable activities on a temporary or one-off basis, subject to certain criteria and limits. Includes only notices that have been correctly and properly given in the time period specified. Does not include notices that were sent back because of mistakes on the form. This also includes notices that were subsequently withdrawn. The fee for a TEN is £21.

Variation (to club premises certificate) - Applications made under section 84 of the 2003 Act to change the terms of a club premises certificate, for example the qualifying club activities or the conditions.

Variation (to premises licence) - Applications made under section 34 of the 2003 Act to change the terms of a premises licence, for example the opening hours, the licensable activities or the conditions.

5. Quality and methodology

5.1 Data collection and methods

Data included in this statistical publication is collected by LAs for administrative processes. The collection is listed on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Single Data List (SDL) of datasets that local government must submit to central government.

The published figures on alcohol licensing are taken from LAs’ licensing records that are subject to inaccuracies seen in any large recording system.

Not all LAs submitted data for the reporting period. In cases where data was submitted, LAs may not have been able to report all of the information requested. For headline statistics in the release (and data table 1 of the data tables only), estimated figures for non-responding LAs are combined with actual data provided by LAs to construct estimated totals for England and Wales.

5.2 Data coverage

To allow meaningful comparisons over time, headline statistics within the ‘Alcohol licensing statistics’ releases (and data table 1 of the data tables only) include estimates for LAs that could not provide figures.

5.3 Estimating for non-response

For the year ending 31 March 2024 release, 320 out of 325 LAs submitted data on alcohol licensing. Where data was provided, some LAs were not able to provide all of the information requested. Estimated totals for England and Wales are provided using estimates for non-responding LAs and where data is missing for a particular question. Table 1 shows the LAs that were not able to provide any data for each year of the data collection since 2016.

Table 1: LAs that did not submit data on alcohol licensing, by year

Year ending	Licensing authorities
31 March 2024	Bolton; Lambeth; Preston; Warrington; Watford
31 March 2022	Camden; Gloucester; Warrington
31 March 2018	Barnet; Camden; Copeland; Craven; Denbighshire; Winchester
31 March 2017	Copeland; Denbighshire; Oadby and Wigston; Sheffield; Swindon
31 March 2016	Ceredigion; Denbighshire; Sheffield

The process for estimating missing values was simplified in 2024 following the amalgamation and new formation of some LAs. Where a value was missing for a particular LA or a particular question, the average response for the type of LA (for example a district or unitary authority) was assigned in its place.

Using this process, estimates for missing data were calculated and added to the actual figures provided by LAs to produce estimated totals for England and Wales (rounded to the nearest 100) for the main headline statistics in data table 1. Estimated figures for non-responding LAs are not included in any other data tables.

Figures were updated for previous years when LAs provided revisions for that year.

5.4 Revisions

The Home Office corrects and revises data in accordance with its statement of compliance with the code of practice for statistics - release practices

5.5 Rounding

Figures based on actual returns received from LAs are provided unrounded in the commentary and from data table 2 onwards for transparency. Caution should be taken when comparing differences between time periods and breakdowns as the figures are subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large recording system and are not necessarily accurate to the last digit.

Headline statistics (which include estimates for non-responding LAs) are rounded to the nearest 100 in the commentary and data table 1 of the main data tables to simplify the presentation of figures. All numeric and percentage changes across years are based on unrounded data. Table 2 below shows the rounding conventions.

Table 2: Rounding conventions

Figure	Rounding convention
1,000 to 999,999	Rounded to the nearest 100 (for example 8,465 = 8,500)
10 to 999	Rounded to the nearest 10 (for example 47 = 50)
Percentages greater than 1%	Rounded to the nearest per cent (for example 1.43% = 1%)
Percentages less than 1%	Rounded to the nearest significant figure (for example 0.43% = 0.4%; 0.043% = 0.04%)

Where data is rounded, the sum of constituents may not equal the corresponding totals or, in the case of percentages, may not equal 100%.

5.6 Quality assurance process

These statistics are compiled by statisticians within the Home Office. Statisticians undertake a wide range of quality assurance checks on the data with each LA.

These checks follow the QAAD guidance (Quality Assurance of Administrative Data) and include:

• compiling the administrative data to highlight outliers and possible errors
• variance checks, such as investigating substantial changes in figures compared with the previous year
• including safeguards within the return to improve data quality
• explaining the data quality and checks to users and the impact these have on the statistics

Following data quality checks with LAs, data tables are checked by a second statistician against the raw data. The prepared text is also checked against the tables. Statisticians are responsible for checking that the commentary appropriately describes the trends seen in the data and is not biased.

Accredited Official Statistics status

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These statistics have been independently reviewed by the regulator and found to comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of practice for statistics.

The statistics last underwent a full assessment against the Code of Practice in 2013. It is the Home Office’s responsibility to maintain compliance with these standards.

Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, the Home Office have continued to follow the Code of Practice for Statistics and make improvements.

• in January 2018 and September 2024, the process for estimating missing values was improved by reviewing the methodology and simplifying procedures
• following a public consultation in December 2018, the amount of information collected has been substantially reduced, and data is only collected every other year to reduce the burden on LAs
• new questions were introduced in the 2024 questionnaire to understand how many premises licences were revoked or had conditions imposed due to spiking concerns

6. Additional information

6.1 Figures for devolved administrations

The Scottish Government publishes Scottish Liquor Licensing Statistics annually under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. These include headline figures on the number of premises and personal licences in force. The Northern Ireland Executive does not publish alcohol/liquor licensing statistics.

6.2 Where are the latest published figures?

Publications are pre-announced on the statistics release calendar. See our latest statistics on alcohol licensing as well as previous Department for Culture Media and Sport releases on alcohol, entertainment and late night refreshment licensing.

6.3 Feedback and enquiries

Home Office statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly at (PolicingStatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk) with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing (regulation@statistics.gov.uk) or via the OSR website.

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. Contact the Licensing and Policing Data Analysis Unit (PolicingStatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk) if you have any issues accessing the information or any other comments or queries.

Contact the Home Office news desk for media enquiries. Office hours: 0300 123 3535; 7am to 8pm Monday to Friday.