The Process - An Overview

1 Checklist

We recommend using our checklist to help you.

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2 Who needs to be involved in monitoring?

The Licensing Act 2003 requires licensing authorities, mainly local authorities (LAs), to prepare a statement of licensing policy, setting out its aims and objectives over a maximum three-year period.

The Act requires that the statement of licensing policy must be drawn up in consultation with people or organisations defined in the Act. These are:

• local police
• local fire authority
• holders of premises licences in the area
• holders of club premises certificates in the area
• holders of personal licences in the area
• businesses and residents in the area
• (for the first statement only), representatives of holders of justices’ licences in the area.

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3 Outcomes - What are the effects of the changes?

Outcomes are changes over time. We use outcomes to measure the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of policy changes. The impact of the changes in licensing hours will be measured by obtaining the views and opinions of stakeholders and by making sense of the data collected. The interpretation of this data may not always be straightforward.

4 The baseline – use of quantitative data

If licensing strategies are to be properly evaluated at the end of three years, a built-in system of monitoring will need to be established. Establishing an entirely new system will be an expensive and potentially difficult process. However, a wide range of agencies – from the local police force and accident and emergency department, to the Office for National Statistics – already collect alcohol-related data.

Utilising existing data will allow local authorities a better starting point from which to measure the impact of licensing changes in their area. This section outlines the available information and its limitations.

5 Anticipating risks and identifying hotspots

Alcohol-related disorder is likely to be associated with particular times and particular places.
This section highlights the range of means by which these times and locations can be identified.
Notes at the end of the section offer more detailed information on some of these sources of data.

6 Good practice in stakeholder involvement

Recent government guidance provides a number of good practice principles for stakeholder involvement. These principles should guide consultations on licensing issues

This section offers a guide to good practice and offers practical advice and techniques for those seeking to involve stakeholders in consultation processes and licensing policy as a whole.