The first May bank holiday for 2020 has been moved to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day, from Monday 4th May to Friday 8th May 2020. The Home Secretary announced this week that licensing hours for Pubs, Clubs and Bars in England and Wales that are licensed to trade until 11pm will now be able to serve for an additional 2 hours on both Friday 8th May and Saturday 9th May 2020 without need for a temporary event notice.
Early May Bank Holiday licensing hours extended for 2020
What does this mean?
Pubs with a licence to stay open until 11pm will see their hours extended to 1am on both the Friday and Saturday nights. This is great news for operators, as you won’t have to apply for an extension of your licensing hours.
However, should you wish to trade beyond 1am, you will have to apply to extend your licensing hours with a Temporary Event Notice (TEN).
It is not yet clear whether this will also cover ‘late-night refreshment’ i.e. the ability to sell hot food past 11pm so we will be keeping an eye on any announcements.
Please also note this does not apply for the Spring bank holiday which is also earlier than normal this year on the 25th May 2020.
What should you do next?
It’s important to check your licence conditions. If you have any event planned for either weekends and need to apply for a TEN it is worth doing this sooner rather than later as usually Local Authorities are inundated with applications and often there can be a substantial delay in processing.
If you wish to discuss such applications, check your licences or any issues regarding existing licences please contact BARBIE’s legal partners at Gregg Latchams – get in touch with Melissa Toney for advice by calling 0117 9069400 or via email at melissa.toney@gregglatchams.com