Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

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...

Licensing Act 2003 (England and Wales): Licensing Authorities’ Duties, Committees, Delegation and Hearings—Policy, Procedure, Best Practice and Remote Hearings

Published by a LexisNexis Local Government expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note explains the law and procedure concerning the obligations and responsibilities of a licensing Authority under the Licensing Act 2003 (LA 2003). It sets out the need for a licensing authority to create a licensing committee to discharge its licensing functions, together with the discretion for that committee to appoint one or more sub-committees so as to delegate the majority of those licensing functions. It also includes practical advice on best practice for licensing committees and/or sub-committees on planning and running hearings, and on avoiding common pitfalls encountered in practice. A licensing authority should be well versed in LA 2003 as interpreted by the courts, the relevant regulations made under LA 2003, the statutory guidance, and its own statement of licensing Policy. It must likewise observe and adhere to the Rules of Natural justice; particularly for hearings, where it must act:

fairly
objectively
impartially
without any bias

For further guidance on local authority decision making, see Practice Note: Key considerations in local authority decision making.

What are the duties and responsibilities of a licensing authority?...

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David Lucas , FBII, MIoL

Lucas Licensing Limited

David is a specialist in gambling, alcohol and entertainment licensing and has recently become a consultant. He has previously represented operators of alcohol, entertainment and gambling premises in Great Britain. He has also advised responsible authorities and licensing authorities, including acting as legal advisor to licensing committees. David provides training to operators, licensing authorities and responsible authorities on all aspects of licensing and gambling including specialist areas such as compliance, conditions, hearings and appeals.He is a consulting editor to “Paterson’s Licensing Acts” (Butterworths) and has provided contributions on the Licensing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2005. David is also the author of Licensing and Gambling Practice Notes published by LexisNexis.David is a member of the Board of the Institute of Licensing and Chairman of the East Midlands Region. He is also a member of the national Board of Best Bar None and the...

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...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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