ALL THINGS LICENSING


Article by Mike Smith, Senior Specialist for Licensing and Community Safety at Guildford Borough Council and Vice-Chair of the Institute of Licensing South East Region.


Please note that this article represents my own views which are not presented as the views of the Institute of Licensing or Guildford BC.


May has finally arrived!


For me professionally, May is synonymous with two things – local elections and naturally the PHTM EXPO.


This year, for where I both live and work, local elections have been cancelled allowing the authorities the time to focus on presenting devolution and reorganisation cases to central Government.


This process is one of excitement and apprehension for local government staff. Excitement, as most local government staff genuinely do their jobs well and care that the work they do helps their local communities; with devolution and reorganisation being a once in a lifetime opportunity to try and improve outcomes for their residents and businesses. Apprehension, as ultimately the aim of reorganisation is to make things more efficient – i.e. to save money which equates to likely savings through staffing reductions.


Devolution and reorganisation will also have a significant impact on the licensed trade. Soon, many licensing authorities will cease to exist in the form they are now, meaning that the function will be delivered by


another, larger, authority likely to be an amalgamation of two, three or more other authorities. Quite how this will look, and what this will mean in terms of policies, fares, fees, areas where hackneys can ply for hire, remains to be seen and will probably vary depending on local arrangements across the country.


Local Government changes are probably going to be a hot topic at the PHTM EXPO, leading me nicely onto this topic!


PHTM EXPO


I am immensely looking forward to attending and representing the Institute of Licensing (IoL) on our sponsors stand and would invite readers to come along for a chat with me about licensing matters and with any suggestions for future licensing related articles in future editions of PHTM!


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Yet again, in order to save time explaining repeatedly on the stand, I wanted to reiterate that the IoL is a professional body that represents anyone with an interest in licensing, and membership is not just limited to local councils, as many members of the trade assume.


The IoL is a broad-church organisation which has membership not just with licensing authorities but also membership amongst the trade, suppliers and the legal profession. With such a cross cutting membership, the aim is to bring stakeholders together in order to discuss licensing related issues, increase knowledge and build best practice.


The IoL is a professional body that represents anyone with an interest in licensing, and as every member of the taxi and private hire trade will either be required to hold a licence or work with someone that does, every member of the trade must therefore have an interest.


In order to do this, the IoL produces a number of publications: the quarterly LINK (Licensing Information News & Knowledge) which is a magazine that does what is says on the tin and provides information, news and knowledge about all things licensing; and the more ‘legalistic’ Journal of Licensing, which is produced three times a year and contains the latest legal information, case law and opinion on licensing matters.


Both publications are sent out free to members. In addition members are able to attend regional events. There are 12 regions coving the UK and each region puts on a number of events each year where members get to hear about the latest local and national issues affecting licensing. Generally these events are free of charge and also provide an excellent opportunity to ask questions of the experts presenting and network with other delegates. Many a licensing officer has been nobbled over the coffee break to discuss issues going on in their area, and many a legal expert will have been asked for their opinion on a matter during the usual Q and A which follow a presentation.


Finally, the IoL has an excellent communications network, not only sending out the latest news ‘as it happens’ via licensing flashes, but also a members forum where questions can be asked and advice sought from other members.


The most recent briefing from the Institute is on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act:


MAY 2025 PHTM


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