Event licensing and insurance
Licensing
In England and Wales, the sale and supply of alcohol is regulated by the Licensing Act 2003 (the 2003 Act). The 2003 Act also contains measures relating to the provision of entertainment (including live and recorded music) and late night refreshment. These are known as “licensable activities”.
For any event that proposes to provide licensable activities it is essential that an appropriate authorisation under the 2003 Act is in place in good time before the event commences. This often requires timely consultation with the authorities and other interested parties, including resident representatives.
There are two types of license which relate to outdoor events. These are a Temporary Event Notice (known as a TEN) and a Premises License. Who needs a premises license. Knowing how many people may be in attendance at your outdoor event at any one time is critical to ensuring that you have the correct license in place. Please be aware of the non-negotiable timescales for each type of license and the costs.
Apply for Temporary Event Notice (TEN)
* Please do not apply for any license before submitting your expression of interest and ONLY if you have been given permission to hold the event.
Insurance
Bolton Council requires event organisers to have a minimum of £10million public liabliity insurance cover regardless of a large or small scale event. Bolton Council will not grant permission to stage an event on its land without seeing a copy of this cover. This generally provides third-party cover for property and accidental bodily injury, including protection for members of public/attendees at the event should they get injured and the event organiser is found to be negligent.
Insurance is an important part of every event, both in terms of protecting the event organiser and all those working or visiting the site/venue. It is, therefore, important to put insurance high up the organiser’s priority list. Event organisers have a duty of care to make sure that all those they ‘employ’, either directly (including volunteers) or indirectly through contractors, are suitably and adequately insured. In some cases, this may be covered by policies held by suppliers, in others it may be the responsibility of the organiser to take out the cover for those working for them directly, including volunteers.