Is it legal for our local pub’s DPS to act as ours as well?

Q. I run a small social club but we don’t have a full time Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS). Is it legal for our local pub’s DPS to act as ours as well, just popping in when needed?

A. I am a little confused about your legal status. If you operate under a Premises Licence then you need a DPS (with a valid Personal Licence) in order to sell alcohol. In this case, if no one is named as DPS on your Premises Licence, then you cannot sell alcohol until you vary your Licence to name a DPS. You say, however, that you run a social club – which means you may have a Club Premises Certificate. If this is the case then you are not required to have either a Personal Licence Holder or a DPS, because private members’ clubs with Club Premises Certificates are treated differently under licensing laws, as they are essentially not open to the public. In either case, you need somebody who has day to day responsibility for the sale or supply of alcohol to ensure that the licensing objectives are upheld. Even if you have a Club Premises Certificate, it would be advisable that that person had a Personal Licence or at least had undergone some basic recognised training, for example the Award for Personal Licence Holders.