10th June 2024 Article - How Licensing Impacts on Day to Day Lives

It's National Licensing Week and it’s a great opportunity to show how licensing affects our everyday lives.

Licensing is one of the oldest and one of purest forms of public protection and affects everyone daily, but not always in an obvious way. Despite its importance licensing often goes relatively unnoticed.

When we think about licensing what we often think about are licences required to sell alcohol or to transport people in a taxi.

But licensing also matters when people buy items from a market or street trader, bet in the local bookies or at the local racecourse, go to the cinema, attend a gig or festival, take part in a local raffle or play bingo, get a tattoo or a piercing, buy a puppy or pet snake, give money to charity, get rid of scrap metal, get someone to look after their dog when they are on holiday, live in a house of multiple occupation, receive acupuncture treatment or visit a night club, theatre or car boot sale.

The Public Protection Partnership delivers the licensing function for both Bracknell Forest Council and West Berkshire Council. Our officers deal with licensing enquiries, process applications, enforce the law and deal with complaints from members of the public regarding licensed premises or activities. The Team focuses on the four E's when working with licence holders: Engage, Educate, Encourage and if this fails then Enforce.

The Public Protection Partnership’s website also includes up to date information regarding regulating events, applying for licences and how to complain about a licence holder if things go wrong.

Licensing is not done in isolation and the contribution of partners is key to ensuring licensing is effective in keeping people safe. We therefore work closely with our colleagues in Thames Valley Police, the Home Office, Environment Health, the local taxi trade, local businesses and attend meetings such as Pubwatch and Safety Advisory Groups.

Sean Murphy Service Lead Public Protection said ‘Our licensing officers work with existing and prospective businesses to ensure they are operating legally and keeping local people safe. Licensing impacts everywhere and everyone on a daily basis. Whether you are getting a taxi home at night, eating food from a street trader, having a drink, getting a piercing or even giving to charity, licensing is playing a key role in ensuring your safety.”

More information about contacting the team can be found here: Contact us - PPP (publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk) or you can call 01635 519184 for Licensing enquiries.

Notes:

The Public Protection Partnership (PPP) is a shared service delivering Environmental Health, Licensing and Trading Standards to over 450,000 people and 10,000 businesses on behalf of two authorities (Partners), Bracknell Forest Council and West Berkshire Council. In addition, PPP provide Trading Standards Services to Wokingham Borough Council.