Personal Licences and Training

Personal Licence Refresher Training

A personal licence has a currency of 10 years and must be renewed prior to the 10th anniversary of issue by a licensing board.

In addition, Section 87 of The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that prior to the 5th anniversary of issue, and every 5 years thereafter, the licence holder must undergo mandatory refresher training, where a refresher training certificate will be issued on successful completion of the training course.  Failure to undergo this training in the appropriate timescale and failure to update the licensing board within 3 months of the training will result in the licence being automatically revoked.

A check of the front of the personal licence will show the expiry date of the licence (e.g. 01/09/2019).  Simply count back five years from this date and this is the date when the refresher training must be completed by.

Personal Licences - Mandatory 10 Year Renewals

On 6th August 2018, the Scottish Government announced the process for 10 year personal licence renewals which can be viewed here.

Key points –

• Those renewing their licences should undergo refresher training;
• The fee for application to renew the licence has been set at £50.00 (fifty pounds).

All personal licence holders whose licences were issued in on or before 1st September 2009 should be aware that the requirement to renew their licences starts in 2018.  The law requires that if a personal licence holder wishes to renew their licence they must do so, by application to the licensing board, no earlier than 1st September 2018 and no later than 31st May 2019.

Personal Licence renewal will affect 684 personal licence holders in Argyll and Bute in the first tranche, so training courses will be at a premium.  Licensing Standards urges all personal licence holders affected to diary the date and make arrangements with accredited trainers to have the training provided.

Failure to renew your personal licence will result in the licensing board revoking your licence.

Contact your Licensing Standards Officer should you require further information.

Process for Advising Licensing Board

• Each Personal Licence Holder (PLH) should submit a copy of their refresher training certificate to the licensing board either by e-mail to licensing@argyll-bute.gov.uk or by post to The Clerk to the Board, Argyll and Bute Licensing Board, Kilmory, Lochgilphead, PA318RT.  It is recommended that copy certificates are submitted by recorded delivery or by e-mail so there is a recorded date and receipt of the submission.
• There is no standard application form for updating personal licence refresher training so the PLH should include their name, date of birth, address and personal licence number in the correspondence.
• The Licensing Board will issue an updated licence and send it to the PLH.
• There is no fee for this update.

Refresher Training and Premises Manager Status

Premises licence holders have a responsibility to ensure their Designated Premises Manager (DPM) holds a current personal licence.  If a premises manager’s personal licence is revoked due to failure to undergo refresher training, the premises cannot sell alcohol until a suitably qualified personal licence holder is in place. 

Therefore, it may be necessary for the premises licence holder to substitute the premises manager to ensure continued compliance with the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Section 54 of The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that notification of a DPM relinquishing their position for any reason is to be given to the Board within 7 days. Thereafter, there is a 6 weeks period of grace to nominate the new DPM to the Board. During this period the premises can continue to operate as if there was a DPM in place.

Further information can be obtained from Licensing Standards or the Council’s licensing team.

Accredited Personal Licence Training Providers

An Accredited Trainer is any person who has gained a qualification accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) allowing them to train candidates up to personal licence level.

Sheila Johnston, Lynn Nicolson, Morag Beattie and Christine Roberts are also offering online training at the present time. Please contact them direct for further details.