BII welcomes the decision in the landmark case against Canterbury City Council
27-Jun-2005
John McNamara, BII Chief Executive, said, “We are very delighted by the decision of Mr Justice Richards in the judicial review of Canterbury City Council’s licensing policy. The licensing policy they adopted was in breach of the licensing act. The authority required a series of detailed pieces of information to be provided, and actions to be taken, by licensees, which are not in fact necessary under the Act.
He added, “It was our view that not only is this outside the law, but it places licensees under a considerable extra bureaucratic burden, places unnecessary restrictions on their business, imposes punitive costs and exposes them to the threat of criminal action for breaching conditions that are, in fact, not required. As a consequence, many licensees were tying themselves up in knots trying to meet unwarranted conditions in their applications. We hope that this ruling will make the minority of councils wishing to impose similar conditions think again.
Mr McNamara concluded, “Licensees are already struggling to get their applications in on time due to outside factors without further unnecessary burdens. We know that only a small percentage of applications have been received to date by local councils, and 30 workings days left to the ending of grandfather rights on 6th August, it is imperative licensees act now and submit their applications.”
For more advice, licensees can call the BII on 01276 684449 or visit the website at www.bii.org
Notes to Editors:
The BII is the professional body for the licensed trade and has over 17,000 members. In 2004 the BII's Awarding Body (BIIAB) processed 134,000 qualifications. Its mission is to promote high standards of professionalism throughout the licensed retail sector; to encourage new entrants into the industry, and to help them develop their long-term careers. We provide all our members with the information, skills and qualifications to help them succeed in their business activities.
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| Contact | Melanie Taylor Communications Manager 01276 417 863 |
