Entertainment Licensing Review

The Department of the Environment (“the Department”) is responsible for the legislation governing entertainment licensing and district councils (“councils”) are responsible for the administration of the licensing system. The legislation determines, amongst other things, which types of entertainment are regulated, the duration of licences and the penalties for breaches of the licensing system.

Applications for an entertainment licence are considered and, if appropriate, approved by each council. It is for each council to determine what conditions should apply to each licence but the legislation does require the council to have regard to any model terms, conditions and restrictions published by the Department.

The main purpose of the licensing review was still ensuring the safety of the individuals attending the entertainment and avoiding undue disturbance to people in the surrounding area. When considering a licence application, councils should give due consideration to preventing,
or minimising, any crime and disorder issues associated with the entertainment.