Review of Statement of Licensing Policy 2026 -2031 – Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment.
Derbyshire Dales District Council is required, under section 5 of the 2003 Act, to prepare, consult upon and publish a statement of its 'Statement of Licensing Policy 2003 (alcohol, entertainment and Late-Night Refreshment)' at least every five years. Our current policy became effective in 2021 and must be reviewed and re-published by January 2026.
Our Licensing Policy Statement, sets out the local licensing strategy and provides clarity for everyone, including residents, businesses, and licence applicants, who will be able to refer to the statement when making representations or when preparing their applications.
It does not include procedures for making applications or holding committee hearings as these matters are covered by separate guidance and procedure documents.
The existing policy has been amended,mainly with administrative changes, making it easier to read and to include areas that the Licensing Section regularly receive questions on, such as the Immigration Act 2016, the Balance and Relevancy of the Policy, other mechanisms for controlling Cumulative Impact, the Operating Schedule and promotion of the Licensing Objectives, Personal Licences, Temporary Event Notices, Representations, Annual Fees and suspension for nonpayment, Reviews, events in Derbyshire Dales and Wholesale Alcohol.
The ‘Revised guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 (February 2025) has been considered as part of the development of the new Statement of Licensing Policy and elements included in that guidance, introduced into the policy, e.g. examples of the range of behaviours, that would be considered spiking.
The draft policy for your consideration can be found here Draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031 (Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment)
The proposed Statement of Licensing Policy 2026 -2031, has a list of changes on the last page and shows those changes throughout the document highlighted in yellow.
The consultation period ends at 5.00 pm on Friday 1st August . Any comments received after this date will not be accepted.
If you have any comments, these need to be sent to:
by email to
or by post to Licensing Manager, Town Hall, Bank Road, Matlock, DE4 3NN.
