Entertainment & liquor licensing
News: Easter Hours & British Summertime
- Date: 29/02/2008
- Author/Solicitor: Jeremy Allen
I was recently asked to do an eNews on Easter hours and the commencement of the British Summertime. I used to do these regularly year after year under the old law but haven't really thought to do them again since the new Act came into force. Let's be clear. The old Good Friday closing rules have disappeared. Therefore, there's nothing special about Easter hours unless there's something specifically attached to your licence to that effect.
The start of British Summertime can however still be significant. British Summertime commences on Sunday 30th March at 1am. If you're normally licensed to trade until 2am, then on the face of it you have a problem. 1am immediately becomes 2am and you are obliged to close unless there is something in your licence which deals with this particular point. All the licences we converted include a special provision to the effect that British Summertime should be ignored for the purposes of calculating the hours the premises traded. On this basis, 1am remained 1am for the purpose of the licence only. The premises could effectively trade until the new 3am. If there is nothing in your licence to that effect, you are obliged to close effectively one hour early. This can obviously cause problems. You may have arranged transport home at the old 2am which will be the new 3am. If you're not sure, I suggest that you check your licence. If it's not mentioned you may want to put in a rapid application to vary or alternatively use a Temporary Event Notice.
For further information, please contact Jeremy Allen