New Drink Licensing Law

Amidst great controversy the biggest change to Scotland’s licensing laws in 30 years comes into effect on 1 September with The licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.

Introduced to address the problems created by alcohol misuse in Scotland, it brings in a new licensing regime which has been branded by many retailers as ‘confusing’ and ‘bureaucratic madness.’ Licensees must now additionally have a premises license as well as a personal license and a training certificate. All staff must then undertake training before selling alcohol aimed at curbing irresponsible drinking. Licensing boards are charging between £800 and £2000 to process the personal license form alone. Small businesses are expected to be hit the hardest in the struggle to meet the demands of the new legislation. This had led legal experts to warn at least one in five premises will fail to meet the new rules.