Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

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Key definition

Authority definition

What does Authority mean? In practice, Authority refers to the public sector client that procures and manages a project or service and is the named counterparty in the contract. In public procurement, PFI/PPP, DBFM/DBFOM and outsourcing documents, it is a contractual shorthand for the “contracting authority” defined in legislation (England & Wales and Northern Ireland: Public Contracts Regulations 2015; Scotland: Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015; Ireland: European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016). Typical Authorities include a local authority, an NHS trust or health board, a central government department or minister, a non‑departmental public body or agency, or another body...

Under-18 alcohol offences under the Licensing Act 2003: sales, supply, permitting, persistent sales and purchase—time limits, defences, sentencing and alternatives (England and Wales)

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Practice notes

This Practice Note provides an outline of the principal offences relating to the sale of alcohol to under‑age children under the Licensing Act 2003 (LA 2003). For general information on alcohol licensing, see: Licensing of alcohol and entertainment—overview. It highlights the principal legal provisions governing such sales.

The children and alcohol offences

LA 2003 establishes a wide array of child‑related alcohol offences that may arise in practice. The most common are the following, set out below:

sale or supply of alcohol to children
permitting the sale or supply of alcohol to children
persistently selling alcohol to children
purchase of alcohol by or on behalf of children

Note, however, that purchase of alcohol by or on behalf of children under LA 2003, s 149 is rarely prosecuted in practice. All offences under LA 2003 are summary‑only matters that can be tried only in the magistrates' court, with some exposing offenders to an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment (see Practice Note: Summary of offences under the Licensing Act 2003).

Time limits for bringing proceedings

The period for commencing proceedings for offences under LA 2003 is 12 months from the date of the offence (as opposed to the usual six‑month time limit for summary‑only offences)...

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Jonathan Smith

Poppleston Allen

Jonathan joined Poppleston Allen at the beginning of 1997. After being made Partner in 2002, he succeeded founder Jeremy Allen as Managing Partner in 2006, splitting his time between developing the firm and advising clients. In April 2018, Jonathan handed over the reins as Managing Partner to concentrate fully on helping licensed operators solve their alcohol licensing problems. Jonathan’s advice includes obtaining new premises licences, licence variations and licensing reviews, of which he is a veteran of over 250. To help understand the pressures that people working in the leisure sector face, Jonathan holds five licensing qualifications covering England, Wales and Scotland. Jonathan regularly speaks at conferences and seminars. He sat on the Institute of Licensing’s operational and development committee and has sat on various Home Office and Department of Culture, Media and Sport advisory groups. By request, he was called to give evidence as part of The...

Joe Harvey

Joe is a specialist licensing and regulatory solicitor at Poppleston Allen. Prior to moving into licensing, Joe amassed nearly 20 years’ experience in criminal defence dealing with a mixed practice of general and serious crime as well as regulatory offences. Joe holds both and LLM and LLB as well as being a qualified duty solicitor and holding Higher Rights of Audience (Criminal Proceedings). He also holds the APLH (Award for Personal Licence Holders) and SCPLH (Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders). In Joe’s criminal defence practice, he has achieved numerous appearances in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) as well as Crown Courts and Magistrates’ Courts around the country. Joe’s regulatory work has included prosecutions by Fire Authorities, Local Authorities, Health and Safety Executive, DVSA and Department of Work and Pensions. Notably, he acted for a defendant in a £600,000 VAT fraud...

Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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