Buckinghamshire Council's Statement of Licensing Policy

Overview

We want to hear your views on Buckinghamshire Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy.

The Statement of Licensing Policy sets out how we carry out our licensing functions under the Licensing Act 2003. 

In simple terms the Council decides who can sell alcohol, provide entertainment, or serve late‑night food and drinks, and under what conditions. This includes activities such as pubs and shops selling alcohol, venues providing live or recorded music, films or performances, and takeaways selling hot food late at night. 

As a Licensing Authority, we are required by law to prepare and publish a Statement of Licensing Policy under the Licensing Act 2003. The policy explains how we approach decisions relating to premises licences, club premises certificates, temporary event notices and personal licences. Through this Policy, we demonstrate our commitment to promoting the four licensing objectives. These objectives are central to our licensing functions and guide all related decisions and actions:  

• the prevention of crime and disorder 
• public safety 
• the prevention of public nuisance 
• the protection of children from harm 

Section 182 guidance (under the Licensing Act 2003) is the statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State that Licensing Authorities must have regard to when carrying out their licensing functions and when setting/reviewing their Statement of Licensing Policy.

The Government also published their National Licensing Policy Framework for the hospitality and leisure sectors in November 2025.  The framework applies to premises authorised to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises such as pubs, bars, restaurants, cafés, hotels, theatres, cinemas, music venues, festivals and late‑night refreshment providers.   

This framework is not statutory guidance, so it does not replace the Statutory Guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003. However, Licensing Authorities are expected to take it into consideration when reviewing their own Statements of Licensing Policy.  

The framework emphasises that the four licensing objectives should continue to be used to safeguard the public, but policies should also reflect the evolving role of hospitality, leisure and entertainment in modern society, and support wider government ambitions around economic growth, public health, and cultural vitality. 

Our current policy was implemented in March 2022, and we are now required to undertake a statutory review to ensure it remains up to date and fit for purpose. 

We are not proposing any significant changes to our current policy at this stage but would like to give interested parties the opportunity to offer their views. 

Related documents and links 

Before you respond to this activity, please have a look at the following documents and links: 

• Our current Statement of Licensing Policy 
• Statutory Guidance issued under section 182 of Licensing Act 2003 
• National Licensing Policy Framework for the hospitality and leisure sectors (web version) - GOV.UK 

How to have your say  

You can tell us your views in following ways: 

• Complete the online survey using the link at the end of the page 
• Complete and return a printed version of the survey (PDF 0.2MB)
• Email us at licensing@buckinghamshire.gov.uk 

If you have any questions about this activity, or require this information in another format or language, please email us at licensing@buckinghamshire.gov.uk 

Please tell us your views by 11:59pm on Sunday 5 July 2026. 

What happens next 

Your feedback will help us update our policy. The revised policy will be presented to the Licensing Committee in the autumn for further consideration before being referred to Full Council for adoption.  

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. Survey responses will be analysed using Microsoft products including Copilot, Excel and Word. For more information about data and privacy, please see our Privacy Policy.

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.