Licensing solicitors are advising licensees to act now to ensure they’re ready for the start of play in the Cricket World Cup next month.
Felix Faulkner, licensing solicitor at Poppleston Allen
This time around, the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is being held in India. With the huge time difference, there will be many venues which may not be allowed to serve alcohol during the majority of the matches.
And with many pubs struggling with declining revenue, Felix Faulkner, licensing solicitor at Poppleston Allen, wants to ensure no-one’s left disappointed.
“We really don’t want to see a repeat of the issues that surrounded the Women’s Football World Cup final in August, which saw some licensed venues lose out on footfall and, ultimately, profits because they didn’t have the correct licence in place,” he said.
“Because matches are being held as early as 6am, such as when England play Bangladesh on 10th October, many premises will not have the correct licence to serve so early in the morning.
“Though it’s getting close, there’s still time to submit applications. We recommend applying for a Temporary Event Notice, also known as a TEN.
“This makes temporary provision for one-off events in certain situations, such as where the existing premises licence doesn’t have the required hours or activities. In this case, due to matches being televised early in the morning when the majority of premises will not be licensed.”
When applying for a TEN, at least ten working days’ notice must be given to the local authority, so there’s plenty of time to apply ahead of the semi-finals, for example, now. However, if a licence is required for the first match, then it may be too late to apply for a standard TEN, meaning the only option available would be a late TEN application.
If a premises is planning to open for some or all of the games, it is vital to get TENs submitted as soon as possible, to ensure there are no issues or delays which could lead to unhappy customers. The good news is, if there are fewer than ten days before the event, it is possible to apply for a ‘late’ TEN by giving between five and nine working days’ notice.
Though cricket isn’t usually known as a rowdy sport, there’s a chance customers might get a little excited if England do as well as expected, as they are the current World Cup holders. And because the match is being held at an unusual time, operators need to be careful.
Felix added: “The main consideration is taking into account more noise at a time when neighbours don’t usually expect it. This is very important with matches taking place early in the morning.
“We’d advise operators to use signage inside and outside of their premises, advising patrons to be considerate of neighbours and to keep noise levels down, especially in any outside areas or beer gardens. If publicans have experienced complaints about noise previously, it would be prudent to speak with your neighbours to advise them of your plans to open a little earlier than usual.
“Finally, it is also worth considering having extra staff on before and during the match to help keep things running smoothly.”
For more information, or to speak to a solicitor about submitting a TEN, visit popall.co.uk, or contact Felix direct via f.faulkner@popall.co.uk.
