Cost: from £205 + VAT

Speaker: Stephen Turner

Councils when acting as a licensing authority need to ensure that the decisions that they make are ‘robust and according to law’ at all times. This applies equally to decisions made under delegated authority by Officers or those made by Members. The mechanisms and reasonings lying behind the actual decisions are of critical importance to achieving this goal. This course will focus on these aspects with an emphasis on Hackney and Private Hire, Alcohol and Regulated Entertainment practice and procedures.

The day, which will be divided into four one-hour sessions, will include the three core topics listed below, each of which will look in detail at its subject, the relevant law, and its practical application. These sessions will be interactive and may include one or more practical exercises in which attendees will be able to participate. Attendees will be requested to consider these areas of practice in advance and are also invited to submit questions or practical examples of difficulties they have encountered for possible discussion on the day. Any examples should be anonymised.

Core sessions

Covid-19: The aftermath - A Phoenix Rising?

Spiking – A new endemic?

Making decisions that are robust and according to law

There will also be a number of ‘hot topic’ sessions taken from the list below where the latest developments in those areas will be set out and discussed to establish the direction of travel. The ‘temperature’ of each topic will be assessed some two weeks before the course to finalise the hottest which will be discussed on the day. These topics will be looked at in a workshop format with full interaction and may be taken within the core sessions above. The day will conclude with an open forum Q&A session, time and the previous sessions permitting.

Hot Topic sessions:

DBS and Police Common Law Disclosure

Home to School Transport

Tax Conditionality

More National Standards?

Agent of Change

Cross Border Working and Enforcement

New legislation?

This course is suitable for experienced practitioners, particularly those who have the responsibility of providing legal advice to a Licensing Authority, the Police, or a Responsible Authority. Delegates with intermediate to advanced knowledge of licensing law and procedure will benefit most, although those with lesser knowledge and a desire to learn are welcome.

About the speaker:

Stephen Turner

Solicitor, Kingston upon Hull City Council

Stephen has been solely responsible for advice to the Council and its Officers on all aspects of licensing law and procedure since 2004. He advises the Committee and Officers in connection with all applications, reviews, prosecutions and appeals concerning licensing matters from taxis and private hire to sex shops, zoos and scrap metal dealers and is Legal Advisor to the Committee when in session. Stephen also deals with advocacy arising from decisions of the Committee by way of appeals or from the prosecution of offenders under all relevant legislation. Stephen is an experienced prosecutor for the regulatory departments of the Council dealing with all types of high end cases from counterfeiting to food safety and fraud.

Stephen has presented lectures, workshops and seminars to a variety of audiences including magistrates, solicitors, members of the Institute of Licensing, Council Members and Officers and others within his areas of interest and expertise.

Stephen is a Past Chair of Solicitors in Local Government and is a former Chair and Branch Secretary of the Yorkshire & the Humber Branch of LLG and he currently represents the Branches on the LLG Board. Stephen is also the Deputy National Lead (Licensing) for LLG and the Vice Chair of the North East Region of the Institute of Licensing. He is also an independent trainer, lecturer, mentor and consultant.