To authorise the supply of alcohol and regulated entertainment in a qualifying club in Rochdale Borough you need a club premises certificate from Rochdale Borough Council.
In a qualifying club there is technically no sale by retail of alcohol (except to guests) as the member owns part of the alcohol stock and the money passing across the bar is merely a mechanism to preserve equity between members where one may consume more than another. In order to constitute a qualifying club you must also satisfy the various requirements set out in the Licensing Act 2003.
Eligibility criteria
Clubs must be qualifying clubs. A qualifying club has general conditions it must satisfy. These are:
- A person may not be given memberships or as a candidate for membership to any membership privileges without an interval of at least two days from their membership application or nomination and their membership being granted.
- That club rules state that those becoming members without nomination or application cannot have membership privileges for at least two days between them becoming members and being admitted to the club.
- That the club is established and conducted in good faith.
- That the club has at least 25 members.
- That alcohol is only supplied to members on the premises on behalf or by the club.
Additional conditions in relation to the supply of alcohol must be complied with. These conditions are:
- That alcohol purchased for and supplied by the club is done by members of the club who are over 18 years of age and are elected to do so by the members
- That no person at the expense of the club receives any commission, percentage or other similar payment in regard to the purchase of alcohol by the club
- That there are no arrangements for anyone to receive a financial benefit from supplying alcohol, apart from any benefit to the club or to any person indirectly from the supply giving a gain from running the club
Registered industrial and provident societies and friendly societies will qualify if the alcohol is purchased for and supplied by the club is done under the control of the members or a committee of members.
Relevant miners' welfare institutes can also be considered. A relevant institute is one that is managed by a committee or board that consists of at least two thirds of people appointed or elevated by one or more licensed operators under the Coal Industry Act 1994 and by one or more organisations who represent coal mine employees.
The institute can be managed by the committee or board where the board cannot be made up as detailed above but is made up of at least two thirds of members who were employed or are employed in or around coal mines and also by people who were appointed by the Coal Industry Welfare Organisation or by a body who had similar functions under the Miners' Welfare Act 1952. In any case the premises of the institute must be held on a trust as required under the Recreational Charities Act 1958.
Apply for a licence
Club premises forms on GOV.UK
Completed applications can be emailed to
licensing.reg@rochdale.gov.uk or posted to Rochdale Borough Council Licensing or brought in to the Licensing Unit during opening hours.
How will my application be evaluated?
A club can apply for a club premises certificate for any premises which are occupied and used regularly for club purposes.
Applications should be made to our Licensing section if the premises are situated in Rochdale Borough.
Applications should be submitted with a plan of the premises which must be in a specific format, a copy of the rules of the club and a club operating schedule.
A club operating schedule is a document which must be in a specific format and which includes information on:
- The activities of the club
- The times the activities are to take place
- Other opening times
- If alcohol supplies are for consumption on or off the premises or both
- The steps that the club propose to take to promote the licensing objectives
- Any other information that is required
If there are any alterations to the rules or name of the club before an application is determined or after a certificate is issued, the club secretary must give details to the Council. If a certificate is in place this must be sent to us when we are notified.
If a certificate is in place and the registered address of the club changes the club must give notice to Rochdale Borough Council of the change and provide the certificate with the notice.
A club may apply to the Council to vary a certificate. The certificate should accompany the application.
Advertising the application
Applicants are required to advertise their application and give a full copy of the application and plan to all responsible authorities. A list of these authorities can be provided to you by the Licensing office upon request. A notice is to be displayed on the premises for a period of no less than 28 consecutive days starting on the day after the day on which the application was given to the relevant licensing authority. It must be displayed, in all cases, prominently at or on the premises to which the application relates, where it can be conveniently read from the exterior of the premise. In the case of a premises covering an area of more than fifty metres square, a further notice in the same form, and subject to the same requirements, must be displayed every fifty metres along the external perimeter of the premises abutting any highway. The notice must be of a size equal or larger than A4, of a pale blue colour, printed legibly in black ink or typed in black in a font of a size equal to or larger than 16. The notice in the Local Newspaper must be published at least once during a period of 10 working days, starting the day after the application was made to the licensing Authority. Applicants are advised to place the notice in the most appropriate newspaper of the Observer Group, i.e. Rochdale Observer, Middleton Guardian or Heywood Advertiser. A notice template will be provided by the Licensing office upon request.
Will tacit consent apply?
Yes. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from us by the end of 28 days. Where objections have been received to the application, we must determine the application within 56 days. Please contact us if you are notified that objections have been made.
Where tacit consent is applicable, it will only apply for licences / registrations that are submitted electronically or the business can show proof of delivery from a post office or recognised courier.
What if the application is refused?
Please contact the us in the first instance.
If an application is rejected, the applicant may appeal the decision to the local Magistrates' court within 21 days of the decision appealed.
What if the variation is refused?
Please contact the us in the first instance.
If we refuse an application for a variation the licence holder may appeal the decision. A licence holder can appeal against a decision to put conditions on a certificate or to exclude any club activity. Appeals may also be made against the variation of any condition.
Appeals against the decision of a review can be made.
A club may appeal against the withdrawing of a certificate to the local Magistrates' court within 21 days of the decision appealed.
Objections to a club certificate
Any interested party may make representations to the local licensing authority before the certificate is granted or before amendments to a certificate are granted. If representations are made a hearing will be held to consider the application and the representations. Notices will be made by us detailing the reasons for any outcome. Interested parties who made representations will receive notice of a failed application.
An interested party is:
- A person living near the premises or a body representing such a person
- A person involved in a business near the premises or a body representing such a person
An interested party may request a review of the club premises certificate at any time. We will hold a hearing to consider the representation and will give reasons for our response to the application in a notice.
An interested party may appeal if they argue that a certificate should not have been granted or that different or additional conditions or limitations on activities should have been made. They may also appeal against any variation of a condition.
Appeals against the decision of a review can be made to the local Magistrates' court within 21 days of the decision appealed.