Personal licence holders may authorise the sale of alcohol at premises licensed for that purpose and may also be employed as the designated premises supervisor at such premises.

For further guidance, see the personal licence guidance for applicants page or the role of a designated premises supervisor document.

Door supervisors

All door supervisors must have a licence. This is not issued by the council. Please visit the Security Industry Authority (SIA) website for more information. 

Apply for a licence

For personal licences, you should complete the application form (see below), make the appropriate online payment and return it to us with the following documentation:

  1. Two passport sized photographs, one of which has been endorsed as a true likeness
  2. Basic disclosure certificate of criminal convictions which is less than one month old. If the certificate is older than this your application will be rejected or you will have to obtain a new disclosure check.
  3. Licensing qualification certificate. Please follow the link below for accredited personal licence qualification providers.  You will need to undertake one of these courses to become a personal licence holder:

Accredited personal licence qualification providers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note that the national certificate for licensees is not an accredited qualification.

If you have any current convictions for any relevant or foreign offences, then we must notify the Chief Officer of Police. If the police make no objections within the statutory 14 day period, we will grant your licence.

Personal licences - application forms

These licences will not automatically be granted and tacit consent does not apply. It is in the public interest that the application is processed as quickly as possible so if you do not hear from us within a reasonable time please contact us. For information on how long the team will take in determining the application please see the timescales policy.

Licence fees

A new personal licence application must be accompanied by the correct fee and supporting documentation in order to prevent any delay in the processing or acceptance of your application.

Length of licence and renewal

Your personal licence is valid indefinitely unless it is ever suspended, revoked or surrendered. It has not needed to be renewed since the Deregulation Act came into force on 1 April 2015.

Public register of licences

Search current licences

Representations for or against an application

Only the police are able to make representations for these licences. 

Change of name or address 

Any change of name or address must be reported to the Licensing team together with the appropriate fee and your original documents in order for an up to date licence to be issued. You can make an online payment