TranslateThe purpose of these notes is to give some help to anyone applying for a Booking Office Licence. After you have read these, if you need any further information, contact the Licensing Office at the contact address on the application form. It is only possible to give guidance on how the applications are dealt with and not to give you advice about your own business requirements. You are recommended to go over this with your own Solicitor or representative who will also advise you on the law. Booking Office licensing is covered by the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. These notes give some information on this but you, or your Solicitor, may not agree with this interpretation of what the Act says and so you should check this information out yourself.
What is the licence for?
Anyone carrying on the business which consists to any extent of the taking of bookings, by any means of communication, from members of the public for the hire of a relevant vehicle, and where the number of relevant vehicles in respect of which bookings are taken exceeds 3, must hold a licence from the local licensing authority, North Ayrshire Council. Trading without a licence is a criminal offence for which you can be prosecuted, and which carries a maximum fine of £2,500 for each offence.
Notice of application
The use of premises for this purpose may have an effect on other nearby properties. To make sure that people are aware of the application you must display a notice on the property for which the application is being made for 21 days from the date you lodge the application form with the Licensing Office. Included with the application form is a form for display which you may wish to use. This notice must contain certain information:
- That an application has been made for a licence.
- Particulars about the applicant, the day-to-day manager or the company involved.
- The address of the property.
- The procedure for making an objection or representation about the application.
(The full details about these procedures are set out in Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Schedule 1 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.)
There will be checks made to ensure that a notice is being displayed where it can be read by the public. You may put it in the window of the property but if you use roller shutters over the windows this means that the notice cannot be read after the premises has closed and so you will not be displaying the notice as the Act requires. If the Notice is removed, defaced or obscured you must replace it. This applies to renewal of licences as well as the original application.
Certificate of compliance
A Certificate of Compliance is also included with the application. This form is your declaration that you have displayed the Notice. You must complete this and send it into the Licensing Office as soon as possible after the 21 days’ notice. If you do not return the Certificate of Compliance then your application cannot be dealt with. As you can see from the Certificate you need to give the dates when the Notice was displayed and whether you had to replace it.
What is involved in processing the application?
The Licensing Authority needs to be sure that the licence holder is a fit and proper person to hold a licence. Every person named in the licence will be checked and so it is essential that every person named in the application completes this question. A Form is provided for this purpose. It is important to complete this accurately as it is an offence to fail to disclose a conviction and you can be fined for this as well as the possible loss of any licence which was granted when your conviction was not declared.
The Licensing Office has to carry out certain investigations into the application and it is circulated to Strathclyde Police to comment on the application. If the application is for the renewal of an existing licence and there are no adverse comments about it then it does not need to go to the Licensing Committee to be approved. If the application is for premises which have never been licensed before or the person applying is new to the premises, or if objections/comments have been received then it must go to Committee.
In any case where the Licensing Office has received any objections or adverse comments then the application is considered by the Licensing Committee at a Hearing which you will be invited to attend. You will be given at least seven days notice of a Hearing together with the objections or comments so that you can have an opportunity to reply to those.
Cost of application
The Act places a duty on the Licensing Authority to meet the cost of operating the licensing system from the fees paid. The fee for processing the application for the initial grant and renewal of a licence is £200 where the public are not admitted to the premises, and £300 where the public are admitted to the premises. The application will not be dealt with until the appropriate fee is lodged. As the fee is for the application it does not guarantee that a licence will be granted and is non returnable if the licence is refused.