Personal licence holders must apply for renewal by end of May
Personal licence holders across East Lothian are being reminded that they must renew their licence to supervise or authorise the sale of alcohol by 31 May.
Personal licences are valid for 10 years and, as the personal licence scheme was first introduced in 2009, many licence holders will now have to renew for the first time.
Kirstie MacNeill, Clerk to the Licensing Board said: “We are advising all personal licence holders in East Lothian to check when their licence is due to expire. The responsibility to ensure licences are up to date lies with each individual licence holder and if they are not renewed then their premises may lose the right to sell alcohol.”
“East Lothian Council’s licensing staff sent out 271 reminders in September last year to those affected by the first round of renewals and we followed this up with a further series of reminders in March. To date, just under half of all licence holders have renewed so far, so we hope the remaining 56% of outstanding applications are submitted shortly.”
Managers of larger premises are also advised to check all staff personal licences. If applications are not lodged with the Licensing Board by 31 May the personal licence will be revoked. Anyone unsure about the process can contact the licensing team at East Lothian Council licensing@eastlothian.gov.uk Tel: 01620 827867