Janet Hood, Consultant, issues a timely reminder about annual fees for your premises licence.

Every licensing board in Scotland will have sent out demands for the payment of the annual fee to maintain premises licences.

The notices will have either been:

1. sent to the premises;

2. sent to the premises licence holder; or

3. sent to the premises manager.

Every year a large number of premises licences are revoked due to non-payment of these annual fees.

This means that you cannot sell alcohol on the premises until an application for a new licence is granted or occasional licences are granted to cover the situation. In an over provision area where the licensing board believe there are too many licences, an application for a premises licence or occasional licence might not be granted and the business will be lost.

Please instruct senior staff to open the mail, please ensure your head office opens the mail and if it is a demand for payment of annual fees please ensure they are paid immediately. It can be fatal to put these demands in a drawer for payment later!

If you are:

1. a premises licence holder;

2. a premises manager; or

3. a senior member of staff

please check to ensure someone in your organisation has paid the fees.

If you have not received a demand for payment by now, please call the local licensing board which deals with your premises licence and ask them to either confirm payment has been made or to re-send the annual fee demand to you by email to ensure they are paid.

Letters get lost in the post. It is no excuse to say you did not receive the demand.

Your future is in your hands……

Should you require further advice or guidance on any liquor licensing matter, please contact Janet Hood by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.