Club Premises Certificate

Licensing Act 2003

Click here to apply for a Club Premise Certificate Link to External Website

If you wish to submit your application in person, you can visit the Licensing Office during normal opening hours.

The fee for a premises licence is based upon the rateable value of the premises. If you do not know the rateable value of your premises, you can find out from www.gov.uk/government/organisations/valuation-office-agency Link to External Website

Before submitting your application please ensure you have included all the necessary enclosures. A checklist is provided at the top of page 12 of the part B application form.

To authorise the supply of alcohol and regulated entertainment in a qualifying club you need a club premises certificate from your local authority. In a qualifying club there is technically no sale by retail of alcohol (except to guests) as the member owns part of the alcohol stock and the money passing across the bar is merely a mechanism to preserve equity between members where one may consume more than another. In order to constitute a qualifying club you must also satisfy the various requirements set out in the Licensing Act 2003.

Eligibility criteria

Clubs must be qualifying clubs. A qualifying club has general conditions it must satisfy. These are:

a person may not be given memberships or as a candidate for membership to any membership privileges without an interval of at least two days from their membership application or nomination and their membership being granted
that club rules state that those becoming member without nomination or application cannot have membership privileges for at least two days between them becoming members and being admitted to the club
that the club is established and conducted in good faith
that the club has at least 25 members
that alcohol is only supplied to members on the premises on behalf or by the club
additional conditions in relation to the supply of alcohol must be complied with.

These conditions are:

that alcohol purchased for and supplied by the club is done by members of club who are over 18 years of age and are elected to do so by the members
that no person at the expense of the club receives any commission, percentage or other similar payment in regard to the purchase of alcohol by the club
that there are no arrangements for anyone to receive a financial benefit from supplying alcohol, apart from any benefit to the club or to any person indirectly from the supply giving a gain from running the club

Registered industrial and provident societies and friendly societies will qualify if the alcohol is purchased for and supplied by the club is done under the control of the members or a committee of members.

Relevant miners' welfare institutes can also be considered. A relevant institute is one that is managed by a committee or board that consists of at least two thirds of people appointed or elevated by one or more licensed operators under the Coal Industry Act 1994 and by one or more organisations who represent coal mine employees.

The institute can be managed by the committee or board where the board cannot be made up as detailed above but is made up of at least two thirds of members who were employed or are employed in or around coal mines and also by people who were appointed by the Coal Industry Welfare Organisation or by a body who had similar functions under the Miners' Welfare Act 1952. In any case the premises of the institute must be held on a trust as required under the Recreational Charities Act 1958.

You are required to advertise your application in a local newspaper, namely either Tameside Reporter, Tameside Advertiser or the Manchester Evening News. The advert should appear on at least one occasion during the 10 working day period commencing the day after the application was made.

In addition, you are required to display a notice on your premises, which needs to be displayed for a minimum of 28 days commencing on the day after your application has been made.

The notice must be:

A4 size or larger.
Pale blue in colour.
Printed or typed in black in a font size of at least 16.
On display at the premises where it can be conveniently read from the exterior of the premises.

An example of the type of notice required is available here.