Operations - Licensing and Alcohol Compliance

Operations – Licensing & Alcohol Compliance

Purpose

To ensure that the supply of alcohol and operation of the Club premises comply with licensing law, the Club Rules, and conditions of the premises licence.

This procedure protects the Club’s licence and ensures lawful operation of events and daily bar activities.

Authority

  • Licensing Act (statutory obligation)
  • Rule 31 – Misconduct
  • Rule 32 – Introduction of Guests
  • Rule 33 – Guests and Excisable Articles

Scope

Applies to:

  • Officers
  • Committee members
  • Bar staff
  • Duty managers
  • Section organisers
  • Event organisers

Procedure

1. Supply of Alcohol

  1. Alcohol may only be supplied to:
    • Financial members;
    • Lawfully admitted guests;
    • Temporary members admitted under Rule 8.
  2. No alcohol shall be supplied to members in arrears.
  3. No alcohol shall be supplied to non-members unless admitted under approved Temporary Membership arrangements.

2. Guests

  1. Guests must:
    • Be introduced by a full member;
    • Be signed into the guest book;
    • Remain accompanied by the introducing member.
  2. A guest must not:
    • Make direct payment for alcohol;
    • Introduce further guests.
  3. Guest limits under the Rules must be observed.

3. Temporary Membership (Events)

  1. Events involving non-members must operate under Temporary Membership where applicable.
  2. Temporary members must:
    • Be recorded;
    • Be informed of restrictions;
    • Not attend General Meetings.
  3. Event organisers must ensure compliance before advertising.

4. Advertising and Public Access

  1. The Club must not be advertised as open to the general public.
  2. Public-facing promotions must:
    • Avoid implying open public bar access;
    • State membership or authorised access conditions where appropriate.
  3. No event may operate as a public bar without lawful authority.

5. Age Verification

  1. No alcohol shall be supplied to persons under 18.
  2. Bar staff must apply age verification procedures as required by licensing law.

6. Incident Reporting

  1. Any suspected breach of licensing conditions must be reported immediately to:
    • The Duty Officer;
    • The President or Secretary.
  2. Serious incidents shall be recorded in an incident log.
  3. The Committee shall review significant incidents at the next meeting.

Resolution Record (For Minutes, if required)

Resolved that, this Licensing & Alcohol Compliance Procedure is adopted as an operational guide to support lawful operation of the Club premises.

Responsibilities

  • Officers – oversight of licensing compliance.
  • Bar staff – day-to-day compliance.
  • Section organisers – event compliance.
  • Committee – review and corrective action where required.

Records to be Kept

  • Guest book
  • Temporary membership register
  • Incident log
  • Premises licence copy (available on site)
  • Training records (if applicable)

Review

This procedure shall be reviewed annually or sooner if licensing law or operating conditions change.