Pictured above: Raising a royal glass - Button Legal partner
and licensing expert Neil Ireland
A licensing expert in Coventry has raised a glass to a small but
much-needed boost to the pub industry in the region.
Neil Ireland, partner and licensing expert at Button Legal, in
Warwick Road, city centre, said this year's Royal Wedding would
give pubs an opportunity to enhance trade without reducing their
quota of Temporary Event Notices.
The Government is proposing to relax the licensing hours in all
pubs in England and Wales when Prince William and Kate Middleton
marry on April 29. During the weekend of the royal wedding on 29
and 30 April, licensed premises will be able to extend opening
hours until 1am to serve alcohol and host entertainment such as
discos and live bands. This extension will be granted automatically
and there will be no need to apply to the Local Authority or notify
the Police.
"The industry has gone through a torrid time recently so this
relaxing of the licensing rules will provide some respite and
provide a great opportunity for pubs in the region to boost trade,"
said Mr Ireland.
"Normally, if you want an extension to the normal hours on your
licence, you have to apply to the Local Authority for a Temporary
Event Notice at least 10 working days prior to hosting the event.
But, during the weekend of the Royal Wedding, this licensing hours
order will override whatever is stated on the Premises Licence and
enable pubs to trade for longer where they would otherwise be
required to close before 1am.
"Licensed premises are currently limited to a certain number of
Temporary Event Notices a year so the added bonus of relaxing the
law will be that premises will be able to open for longer without
having to use up some of their allocation."
Button Legal was set up in 1988 and offers a range of services
including conveyancing, commercial property, landlord and tenant
issues, matrimonial law and debt recovery.