LGA and Institute of Licensing issue training standard for licensing committee members

The Local Government Association (LGA) and the Institute of Licensing (IoL) have this month published a training standard designed to set out what they believe to be a basic level of licensing committee member training.

The two organisations said: “Councillors have a crucial role to play in the licensing process. As licensing committee members, they are responsible for making decisions which can affect people’s livelihoods, public safety and the look and feel of our high streets, city centres and rural areas. In order to discharge that duty to a high standard, it is vital that those undertaking the role are well trained.”

The LGA and the IoL said they wanted to drive consistently high standards in licensing.

The document, which can viewed here, sets out a basic standard of training, signposts to additional opportunities for further development that members of licensing committees might wish to consider, and considers stakeholder engagement.

However, the two organisations stressed that the document “does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such”.

The LGA and the IoL said: “We would expect all members with a role in determining licensing matters to complete the items shown in the basic standard of training below before sitting in a determining position, to ensure they have a solid understanding of the licensing process and are able to discharge their duties to a good standard.”