Main Objectives of the Licensing Act 2003
The new Licensing Law places great responsibilities on business owners and managers. They need to know not only the Licensing Law, but also other relevant laws and social responsibilities brought by these laws. Business owners and managers must demonstrate to licensing authority, licensing police and other relevant authorities that they have sufficient knowledge and skills.
The new law transferred the responsibility of issuing licenses and inspecting licensed businesses from the magistrates’ courts to Local Councils. Licensing departments of Councils were established and these were called “licensing authorities”.
The main purpose of this law can be summarized as follow, these are vitally important and should be principal aims for everyone involved in licensing work.
- Protecting the public and local residents from crime, anti-social behaviour and noise nuisance caused by irresponsible licensed premises;
- Giving the police and licensing authorities the powers they need to effectively manage and police the night-time economy and take action against those premises that are causing problems;
- Recognising the important role which pubs and other licensed premises play in our local communities by minimising the regulatory burden on business, encouraging innovation and supporting responsible premises;
- Providing a regulatory framework for alcohol which reflects the needs of local communities and empowers local authorities to make and enforce decisions about the most appropriate licensing strategies for their local area; and
- Encouraging greater community involvement in licensing decisions and giving local residents the opportunity to have their say regarding licensing decisions that may affect them.
Licensing law provides a clear focus on the promotion of 4 main objectives. All licensing authorities in England and Wales must support the 4 main objectives of licensing in the exercise of their functions and making decisions.
The licensing objectives are;
- Prevention of crime and disorder
- public safety
- Prevention of public nuisance
- The protection of children from harm
All regulatory purposes are equally important and proper understanding is essential when licensing functions are undertaken.
