Welcome to our October Licensing Update

As usual this contains items posted to our website over the past month.

In a rather unusual instruction for us we have been consulted by a television company to provide licensing advice on a long running soap opera to ensure that their upcoming story lines are accurate. We can’t say any more than that as we don’t want to spoil millions of peoples viewing pleasure! We are very pleased and proud to have inputted into this long standing British drama.

We hope that you will forward this to anyone to whom it may be relevant. If you have colleagues who you think would like to receive this direct, please ask them to let us know by emailing jpupius@john-gaunt.co.uk.

 

British Summer Time ends at 2am Sunday 28 October 2018

A reminder that British Summer Time (or as it may be more properly called Daylight Saving Time) ends at 2am Sunday 28 October 2018. This means that at 2am on that Sunday, the time becomes 1am and premises entitled to trade to 2am or later can enjoy an extra hour of trade (unless there is something specific on your licence preventing this).

Read more here

 

HMRC releases minimum wage underpayments data

Hospitality has been highlighted as having the highest number of jobs paid below the National Minimum Wage of any sector, according to data released by HMRC.  HMRC has said there were an estimated 54,500 jobs within the sector were paid below the minimum wage in April 2017. Retail was the next worst offending sector with 51,300 jobs paid below the minimum wage.

Read more here

 

Food allergies – and young people

New research reveals challenges facing young people with food allergies and intolerances.  A new survey shows over half of young people with a food allergy or intolerance have avoided eating out in the last six months due to their condition. In tandem with this, the FSA is launching easy to ASK, a campaign designed to empower young people to ask food businesses about allergens when eating out, so that they can make safe choices.

Read more here

 

Hospitality Industry urged to respond to the Government Consultation on

Calorie Labelling

The Government have launched a consultation on Calorie labelling for food and drink served outside the home.  The consultation closes on 7 December 2018.

The consultation document invites responses to:

•   The types of businesses which should have to display information (on calories).
•   Where they should display it.
•  Problems and issues of the businesses, should the Proposed Legislation be implemented.

Read more here

 

Alcohol Taxation and the Pub Trade – Parliamentary Briefing

This House of Commons Library Briefing Paper provides information on how alcohol is taxed from the introduction of the duty escalator in 2008 to the current position.  It provides a chronological assessment of the changes to taxation and touches briefly on minimum pricing per unit and the regulation of the pub companies.  The Briefing Paper can be found here: ‘Alcohol taxation and the pub trade‘

 

UKHospitality response to PPL/MPLC Copyright Consultations

PPL are consulting until the 5th October 2018 on charging an increased tariff for special featured events (discos and recorded music).  The new fees will represent a several fold increase for operators and as such operators are being urged to respond.

Read more here

 

Home Office advise Employers to use EU Settled Status Communications

Toolkit

A Home Office “communications  toolkit” has been made available to assist EU citizen employees apply for settled status.  Although applications can only be made from March 2019, the toolkit will assist in planning in advance of that date.

Read more here

 

Wales – ‘Regulating Our Future’ – Amendments to the Food Law Code of

Practice

The Regulating Our Future (ROF) Programme aims to modernise how food businesses in Wales, England and Northern Ireland are regulated, to ensure that ‘food is safe and what it says it is’.   The Food Standards Agency has just announced a review of the Food Law Code of Practice (Code) for Wales further detail of which can be found by clicking the link below.  The consultation closes 23 November 2018.

Read more here

 

Scotland – Dumbarton Festive Extensions

The West Dunbartonshire Licensing Board has agreed the policy on the granting of applications over extended hours over for 2018/2019’s festive season.  This year the period for granting applications for extended hours will run from Friday, 14 December, 2018 to Wednesday, 2 January, 2019 (inclusive of 2 January).

Read more here

 

Gambling – Gambling Commission consultation on strengthening age and

identity verification for online gambling

The Gambling Commission is seeking views on proposed changes to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) in order to strengthen age and identity verification for online gambling.  The proposed changes would require online gambling businesses to verify:

• the age of customers before they can deposit money or gamble, or access play-for-free versions of gambling games;
• the identity of a customer – including their name, address, date of birth and email address – before they are allowed to gamble; and
• that the name associated with the customer’s payment method matches the name of the gambling account holder.

• Read more here

 

And finally…

We were delighted to co-host an operators dinner in Liverpool last week to coincide with the Labour Party Conference.  Tim Shield, Michelle Hazlewood and Jon Wallsgrove attended from JG&P.  A very enjoyable evening with a lot of lively debate between a number of operators and several MPs.