Costs and Service Information
Any business that relies on a licence from a council understands how important it is to get the right consent for their business. If your company requires advice on licensing, JMW Solicitors can offer expert assistance.
JMW offers a comprehensive service that covers all of the local authority licensing regimes, including alcohol licensing, late night refreshment, entertainment, gambling and taxis. Legislation and policy is constantly evolving and we are committed to helping you stay one step ahead, by offering the appropriate advice and representation at the right time.
We have many years of experience in providing a commercially-focused, diligent and pragmatic service for business clients of all sizes. To speak to a member of our professional licensing team, call us on 0345 872 6666, or complete our online enquiry form to request a call back.
Prices
Please note that there will be two elements to the prices as set out below:
- Fees charged by JMW; and
- Fees payable to third parties.
Please ensure that you consider both parts of the price information.
Fees charged by JMW
Applications for a premises licence
| Disbursement | Fee | VAT(charged at 20%) | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application type | Legal fee | VAT (charged at 20%) | TOTAL |
| Simple application | £750 - £1,200 | £150 - £240 | £900 - £1,440 |
| Medium complexity application | £1,250 - £1,800 | £250 - £360 | £1,500 - £2,160 |
| High complexity application | £4,000+ | £800+ | £4,800+ |
Factors that affect the complexity of an application:
- Whether there is a cumulative impact policy in place and a rebuttable presumption against a grant.
- The type of and size of the premises.
- Whether the premises is in a residential or sensitive area.
- What the premises will be used for e.g. a premises intended to be used for large scale public events would significantly increase the complexity of an application.
- The potential for acute impact to the licensing objectives will increase the potential for time to be spent on an application by a lawyer
We will be able to give you an idea of which application type you are likely to have and provide a more detailed cost estimate, once we receive details of your application from you.
Fees payable to third parties (‘disbursements’)
| Disbursement | Fee | VAT (charged at 20%) | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fee | £100 to £1,095 (dependent on rateable value*) | £N/A | £100 to £1,095 |
| Advertising (newspaper) fee | £200 - £500 | £40 - £100 | £240 - £600 |
| SUBTOTAL | £340 - £1,695 |
* For more information on application fees, visit https://www.gov.uk/licence-finder or contact us to discuss your requirements
Work included and key stages
The precise work and stages involved in a licensing application vary according to the circumstances. However, we have set out the key stages involved in a typical application:
- Taking your instructions and advising you as to how you can promote the licensing objectives within your application.
- Advising you as to the type of plans you are required to submit with your application.
- Completing the application form for the licence in accordance with your instructions and submitting this to the local licensing authority alongside suitable plans. You must provide suitable plans.
- Providing guidance on the fee levels payable to the licensing authority.
- Preparing copies of the premises licence application for disclosure to the responsible authorities and serving copies of the application on the responsible authorities.
- Drafting the notices advertising the premises licence application and submitting the notice to the local newspaper.
- Arranging with you for you to display the notice(s) advertising the premises licence application and advising as to where and how this should be done by you in order to comply with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003.
- Providing a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) consent form for signature by a personal licence holder proposed by you.
- Checking the licence once granted and correcting any errors with the licensing authority.
Services excluded
Our service will not include any of the following:
- Obtaining suitable plans.
- Attending pre-consultation meetings with the Licensing Authority or responsible authorities, nor covering their fee for this meeting.
- Dealing with or advising you in relation to queries or representations received from either the responsible authorities or other interested parties.
- Advising on varying the licence.
- Attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee hearing of the responsible authority. If representations are received and attendance and representation at a licensing sub-committee is required, then we will provide a separate fee estimate for this work.
Approximate/average timescales
Licensing application matters usually take 6 – 12 weeks from receipt of full instructions from you. This is dependent on the complexity of the application and you being able to provide all the necessary documents promptly. If your matter is more complex, or if there is substantial opposition from interested parties, or if there is a delay in receiving the documents we need, it may take longer.
Qualifications and experience of our team
All work is carried out by Bernard Ralph, partner at JMW.
