Club premises certificate

You'll need to apply for a club premises certificate to get our authorisation for you to supply alcohol and regulated entertainment in a qualifying club located in the Bury borough.

A club premises certificate is a single licence that:

• covers all activities of the club
• does not need to specify a designated premises supervisor
• does not require a member of employee of a qualifying club to hold a personal licence.

Club premises certificate eligibility

Qualifying clubs must comply with the Licensing Act 2003, which sets out:

• the qualifying club requirements and general conditions
• whether a club is established and conducted in good faith
• the additional conditions for the supply of alcohol.

As a brief summary of the Licensing Act, qualifying clubs are recognised as those that:

• have at last 25 members
• the supply of alcohol is by or on behalf of a club to a club member
• the retail sale of alcohol is by or on behalf of a club to a guest of a member, for consuming on the premises
• provide regulated entertainment by or on behalf of its members and guests.

With a qualifying club, technically, there is no retail sale of alcohol except to guests. This is because the club member owns part of the alcohol stock and money passed over the bar simply preserves equity between members, where one may consume more than another.

Current club premises certificate holders

If a club holds a current club premises certificate and there are changes, the club secretary must inform us of the change and send us the current certificate. The changes that we need to know about are:

• changes to club rules
• change of club name
• change of club registered address.

Supporting documents

Club premises certificate applications must be accompanied by:

• the appropriate fee
• a copy of the club rules
• a club operating schedule
• a plan of the premises that is clear and legible.

Operating schedule

The club operating schedule must include details of:

• the activities of the club
• the times when the activities will take place
• any other opening times
• whether the alcohol supplies are for consumption on or off the premises, or both
• any steps the club proposes to take to promote the licensing objectives
• any other information that is required.

Apply for a club premises certificate

You can apply and pay the appropriate fee for a club premises certificate online, using GOV.UK. We may inspect the club premises before a new or change to an application is considered.

All club premises certificate applications must be advertised:

• on the premises using a display notice on blue A4 paper
• in a local newspaper of either the Bury Times or Manchester Evening News.

You may download and use our templates for newspaper adverts.

Club premises certificate process

After 28 days of receiving your club premises certificate application, we will review any representations that have been submitted regarding your application.

Tacit consent

Tacit consent applies to club premises certificate licences. This means that you'll be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from us by the end of 28 days.

Where tacit consent is applicable, it will only apply for licences and registrations that are submitted electronically or the business can show proof of delivery from a post office or recognised courier.

Where objections have been received to an application, we must determine the application within 42 days. Please contact our licensing service if you're notified that objections have been made.

Decisions and appeals

If your application for a new club premises certificate is refused, we'll let you know. If your application is rejected, you can appeal our decision.

If your application to change an existing certificate is refused, you may appeal the decision. Appeals can be related to our decision to:

• put conditions on a certificate
• exclude any club activity
• vary the conditions on a certificate.

Appeals can be made to the local Magistrates Court within 21 days of our decision. 

Club premises certificate objections

Any interested party can make representations to us before a club premises certificate is granted or before certificate amendments are granted. 

If representations are made, a hearing will be held to consider the application and the comments together. We'll then publish notices with the reasons of any outcome. The interested parties who made representations will receive notice of a failed application. An interested party is a person, or a body representing them, who:

• lives near the premises
• is involved in a business near the premises.

Interested parties may request a review of a club premises certificate at any time. We'll hold a hearing to consider the comments and will give reasons for our response to the application in a notice. Interested parties may appeal if they argue that a certificate should:

• not have been granted
• have different or additional conditions or limitations on activities
• not have a condition varied.

Appeals against the decision of a review can be made to the local Magistrates Court within 21 days of the decision being appealed.

Club premises licensing conditions

The following is a summary of licensing conditions that apply to club premises certificates:

• alcohol purchased for and supplied by a club is done by club members who are over 18 years of age and are elected to do so by the members
• 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
• 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 for a club premises certificate if the alcohol is purchased for and supplied by the club and is done under the control of the members or a committee of members.

Relevant miners' welfare institutes can also be considered for a club premises certificate. 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. An institute can be managed by the committee or board that's 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.

Club complaints

If you're a member of the public and wish to make a complaint about a club premises, please first raise your concerns with the club. If you do not get a satisfactory result, please contact our licensing service.

Club members can request a review of its certificate and we'll give reasons for our response to an application via a notice. Appeals against the decision of a review can be made to the local Magistrates Court within 21 days of the appeal decision.