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Pub opening hours for the World Cup 2014


s172 Licensing Act 2003 allows the Government to make an order relaxing licensing hours, to mark an occasion of ‘exceptional international, national or local significance’. Such an order was used for the Royal Wedding in 2011 and HM Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The Home Office is currently consulting on the relaxation of licensing hours during this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil to cover the time of England’s World Cup matches. This is potentially of concern to local residents as the order would extend permitted licensed hours for sale of alcohol (and provision of late night refreshment) in pubs, bars etc, on a blanket national basis. Consideration is being given to permit extension to 12am, 12.30am or 1am.

Having said that, the impact of it may be limited. Two of England’s group stage matches kick off in time to finish well before 11pm. The other kicks off at 11pm. If England do get through the group stages, the knockout matches all start at 9pm and would only go over 11pm if there was extra time/penalties.

The alternative if there was no blanket relaxation would be for each premises who wished to provide licensable activities beyond their current hours would be to put in a Temporary Event Notice (TEN). Each premises is entitled to put in for 12 TENs per year (soon to rise to 15) covering a maximum of 21 days. The police and Environmental Health can object to such applications and insist that conditions already on the licence must be adhered to when operating under the TEN.

The consultation does not, as far as we can see, state whether licence conditions would carry over for the extended hours. However, the consultation for the proposed extension of hours for the Royal Wedding in 2011 did confirm that licence conditions would carry over.

The consultation can be viewed and responded to here.

It runs from 13 March to 26 March. If any resident would like further information or to discuss, please contact the Project.