If you run a member's club, you will need a club premises certificate if you want to:
- sell or supply alcohol
- provide regulated entertainment, such as live music, a play or an indoor sporting events
You still need a certificate even if the event or activity is for charity.
Before you apply
You need to read and understand the requirements set out on this page before you submit an application for a certificate. We cannot proceed with your application unless you give us all the information we need.
Application details
Your application must include the following details:
- an operating schedule
- a site plan of the premises
- the address of the premises
- a copy of the club rules
If you plan to sell alcohol, you will also need to include a form of consent from the premises supervisor.
Fees and prices
Prices and fees for club premises certificates are based on the rateable value of your premises, from Bands A to E. You can check your rateable value on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) website.
Select a topic below, to view the fees and charges for club premises certificates.
| Premises band | Price |
|---|---|
| A | £100 |
| B | £190 |
| C | £315 |
| D | £450 |
| D (mainly selling alcohol) | £900 |
| E | £635 |
| E (mainly selling alcohol) | £1,905 |
| Premises band | Price |
|---|---|
| A | £70 |
| B | £180 |
| C | £295 |
| D | £320 |
| D (mainly selling alcohol) | £640 |
| E | £350 |
| E (mainly selling alcohol) | £1,050 |
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Replacement of a lost or stolen certificate or summary | £10.50 |
| Change of the club address | £10.50 |
| Right of freeholder to be notified of licensing matters | £21 |
| Transfer of a club premises licence | £23 |
| Varying a licence to specify a premises supervisor | £23 |
| Minor variation to a club premises licence | £89 |
| Provisional statement of construction, extensions or alterations | £315 |
Certificate duration
We grant club premises certificates for the lifetime of your business, unless we state otherwise.
However, we can revoke or suspend your certificate if you breach the terms of your certificate. You can also surrender a certificate, if you want to.
You must pay an annual fee to maintain the certificate.
How to apply
We are currently developing an online application form. At the moment, you can complete a PDF application or declaration form and send this to us by emailing us at licensing@bathnes.gov.uk
- Club premises certificate application form
- Club premises certificate declaration and application form
Further information
Once you have applied for a new certificate, or applied to vary an existing certificate, you must also do the following:
- Give public notice of your application in a local newspaper within 10 days of the application
- Display a notice outside the premises for 28 days (you must print this on pale blue paper)
Select a topic below to find out more about club premises certificates.
Once we receive your application, we will start a 28 day public consultation period.
We will notify and consult with:
- Planning
- The Fire Authority
- The Police
- Trading Standards
- Environmental Health
- Director of Public Health
- Home Office Immigration Enforcement
All of the responsible authorities listed above or any other person can make a representation about an application within the 28 day consultation period.
We must allow 28 days for objections to be made. If we receive any objections, the application will be referred to our Licensing Committee for determination.
The Chief of Police can give notice if they believe that the transfer of a certificate to another under a variation application could undermine crime prevention objectives. The Police must provide this within 14 days of receiving notification of the application.
If we do not receive any relevant representations against your application, we will grant the certificate once the consultation period ends.
We aim to determine applications within 60 days.
Tacit consent applies. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from us after 60 days.
If you want to appeal a licence rejection, please contact us by email at licensing@bathnes.gov.uk
A certificate holder or applicant may appeal against any of the following decisions:
- Refusing an application for the grant of a certificate
- Refusing an application to vary a certificate
- Refusing an application to transfer a certificate
- Attaching conditions to a certificate
- Excluding an activity
- Excluding a person as premises supervisor
A club member may also request a review of the certificate. We will give our reasons for our response in a notice
If you wish to appeal a decision, you can apply to Bath Magistrates’ Court within 21 days of being notified of the decision.
If you feel that a licensed premises is causing you regular problems, you have the right to apply for the licence to be reviewed
You can also object to a premises licence or club premises certificate that has not yet been granted by making a representation
If you believe a business is operating without a club premises certificate, please report this to us using our online form.
Recreational Charities Act 1958
We have made the information on these web pages as comprehensive as possible. However, in attempting to simplify the law, certain requirements have been omitted. Full details of what you must do are in the relevant legislation.
Laws can and do change. We must advise that only the Courts can give an authoritative opinion on statute law.
Variation, transfer, review and notice templates
If you want to vary or review an existing certificate, you need to complete a PDF application form and send this to us by emailing us at licensing@bathnes.gov.uk
You can download the forms and any notice templates you need below:
- Variation of an existing certificate
- Minor variation of an existing certificate (you will need to pay £89 via our online payment form)
- Review of an existing certificate
- Premises notice
- Newspaper notice
- Minor variation notice (you must display this notice for 10 working days. This must be printed on white paper.)
- Change of name or address (please tell us the details of the required change, including your licence number, and pay £10.50 via our online payment form)
Help keep your customers safe
There are a number of local and national campaigns you should be aware of as a licence holder, designed to keep consumers and customers safe. Use this guide to find out more about these campaigns, what you should do on your premises, and how to access more resources and information.
Ask for Angela is a safety initiative designed to help individuals who feel unsafe, vulnerable, or threatened in licensed venues such as bars, clubs and restaurants. The scheme allows for those individuals who require help to discreetly seek assistance by approaching a staff member and asking for ‘Angela’.
The trained member of staff will recognise that the individual requires assistance and will respond in a discreet and appropriate manner. They may contact security, guide the person to a secure location, or help them exit the venue unnoticed.
Ask for Angela helps maintain a safe environment within venues, which in turn enhances public confidence in safety and encourages greater participation in the night time economy.
To ensure that members of staff can easily identify potentially vulnerable individuals and know the best way to support them, Ask for Angela offer free training workbooks for managers and staff, as well as enhanced training options.
View the Ask for Angela resources, including workbooks, incident report forms, and posters
The national Drink Spiking Campaign is an initiative aimed at raising awareness, improving prevention measures, and strengthening legal responses to drink spiking incidents.
National campaigns like Stamp Out Spiking aim to increase public awareness and educate people about the dangers of drink spiking, particularly during high-risk periods like Halloween and Christmas.
Read more at the Stamp Out Spiking website.
With the campaign calling for additional support for victims, efforts include training venue staff, providing resources for victims, and promoting anti-spiking products that help protect drinks from tampering.
The UK Government has additionally issued guidance for venues and festival organisers that emphasise the need for staff training around drink spiking, CCTC monitoring and safeguarding victims
The Get ME Home Safely campaign, launched by Unite the Union, is a collaborative initiative between Unite’s Passenger and Hospitality sectors, with backing from Unite’s Equality department and its various committees. The campaign was established in response to growing concerns regarding the safety of night time economy and shift workers who often struggle to find and pay for transport home after nightwork.
The guiding principle of the campaign is that all workers should have access to safe transportation at any time of the day, with a call for employers to collaborate with the union to develop effective solutions to ensure that employees working beyond 11pm can travel to and from their workplaces safely.
Find out more information, including downloadable campaign materials, at the Unite the Union website.
The Violence Against Women and Girls scheme is a government-led initiative aimed at reducing gender-based violence and improving support for victims through policy changes and public awareness.
The campaign highlights the high prevalence of violence against women, with statistics showing that over one in four women experience sexual assault of attempted assault in their lifetime.
The Metropolitan Police launched the ‘Tackling Violence against Women and Girls Action Plan’ in December 2024 that outlines a comprehensive strategy to address gender-based violence through prevention, protection, and legal reforms in ten commitments. The plan emphasises the need for systematic change, urging communities to work together to create safter environments for women and girls.
The key focus areas included prevention, support for victims, law enforcement improvement, and policy and funding commitments. Read the full action plan at the Met Police website.
An additional update on the plan was published in summer of 2024: Read the latest update.