ACS Welcomes Decision Not to Abolish Personal Alcohol Licences

27 Mar 2014 --- The Association of Convenience Stores has welcomed the decision by the Home Office not to abolish personal alcohol licences.

Responding to the consultation, the Home Office said that it had “listened to the views received in response to the consultation and in discussion with partners has decided not to proceed with the proposal to abolish the system of personal licences.”

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Ministers announced in July their intention to remove the requirement on personal licence holders to renew their licences after ten years. This was a positive move strongly welcomed by retailers. However, we made it clear in out consultation response that the concept of abolishing the licences altogether was a step too far.

“Personal licences provide a clear national standard of training and competence in supervising alcohol sales. They are also portable allowing individuals to move between premises without undermining the alcohol licence of the business.”