Up to 40% of Scottish licensees still waiting for new licences
As many as four in ten Scottish licensees have still not been issued with new licences despite the Scottish Government extending the deadline for their issue from September to November.
As part of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, all operators selling alcohol need to be issued with new premises and personal licences.
Local authorities should have issued these licences to applicants by 1 September, but the Scottish Government was forced to extend this to 1 November when it became clear that many licensing boards could not comply with the original deadline.
But, despite this extension, the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) today revealed that as many as 40% of its members had not been issued with the new licences. This does not account for the fact that many licences which have been issued have had to be returned to licensing boards because they contained errors.
Patrick Browne, chief executive of the SBPA, said: "Given that all applicants had to have submitted paperwork to licensing boards by 1 September, there can now be no doubt that the latest problems in issuing licences are completely down to some boards failing to administer the process effectively.
"The responsibility for that situation rests squarely with those licensing boards and with the Scottish Government which did not act sooner to address the growing problems which have been apparent for several months."
Scottish pubs given two months' leeway on new licences >>
Trade body pleads for moratorium on new Scottish licensing laws >>
Significant shortfall in personal licences in Scotland, warns trade body >>
More than 3,000 licensed premises in Scotland miss application deadline >>
By Daniel Thomas
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