Temporary Event Notices

Temporary Event Notices (TENs) are a way that anyone can get permission to carry on licensable activities for a limited time.

They can be used to allow licensable activities at unlicensed premises, or extend authorisation at premises that are already licensed. For example, a pub could use a TEN to extend its opening hours for a special event such as a wedding party.

• The sale of alcohol
• The supply of alcohol at a private club
• Providing entertainment, such as music, dancing, or an indoor sporting event (regulated entertainment)
• Serving hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am (late night refreshment)

A person who wants to have an event where licensable activities will take place sends a TEN to the council with authority in the place where the event will be. This is called ‘serving a TEN’ on the licensing authority.

There is a £21 fee to serve a TEN, payable to the licensing authority.

The TEN form must include the following details of the event:

• Details of the premises
• The nature of the event (wedding party, bar extension, etc.)
• The date(s) the event will take place
• The times on each day
• The maximum number of people who will attend (this must be less than 499)

Apply for a TEN online

You must serve a TEN at least 5 clear working days before your event. If you serve a TEN with less than 5 clear working days, the licensing authority cannot authorise the activities at your event.

TENs served at any time up to 10 clear working days before the event are ‘standard TENs’.

TENs served between 9 and 5 clear working days before the first day of the event are ‘late TENs’.

Our advice is to submit your TEN as soon as you have finalised the details of the event.

Late TENs are processed in the same way as standard TENs but there is no appeal procedure if there are objections and have to be refused. This is due to the short time between the TEN being served and the event.

A TEN can authorise activities for up to a maximum of seven days.

There is no limit on the times covered by a TEN in any day.

No. There must be at least a 24 hour gap between the end of one TEN and the start of another.

The number of TENs that you can have depends on whether you hold a personal alcohol licence or not, the number of TENs that you have already given, the number of TENs that have already been given for the premises, and the number of days that have already been authorised at the premises.

The maximum number of TENs an individual can give is:

• If you hold a personal alcohol licence, you can give up to 50 TENs in any year. only 10 of the TENs can be late TENs.
• If you do not hold a personal licence, you can give up to 5 TENs in any year. Only 2 of the TENs can be late TENs.

A single premises can have up to 15 TENs in any year, but the total number of days that can be authorised at that premises is limited to 21.

When the licensing authority receives the TEN form, we forward it to the Police and Environmental Health. They review the details of the event to determine if allowing the licensable activities on the premises will have any negative impact on crime and disorder, public safety (including the safety of children), and public nuisance.

Either body can object to you using the premises for the licensable activities described in your TEN. The objection must be made to the licensing authority within three working days of the TEN being served.

TENs must be sent to the Police and Environmental Health for them to consider the impact of the licensable activities that will take place at the event.

If you send your TEN using our online TEN form, or submit your form and payment by email, we will send the TEN to the Police and Environmental Health for you.

If you have to send your TEN by post, then you are responsible for sending the TEN to the Police and Environmental Health.

Yes. If there are no objections, we will send you written confirmation of the activities that have been authorised by your TEN.

If you have not received confirmation a week after serving your TEN, you should contact us to find out what has happened.

Do not assume that your event has been authorised until you have received confirmation.

A copy of the confirmation must be available at the event for inspection by the police or a licensing officer.

If the Police or Environmental Health object to your TEN, then the licensing authority must hold a Licensing Sub-Committee hearing to consider whether the activities described in the TEN will cause a negative impact on crime and disorder, public safety, or public nuisance.

The Committee will determine whether to allow the activities to take place after hearing from both the person serving the TEN and the objectors.

The Police or Environmental Health can modify a TEN to address their concerns, but only with the agreement of the person who served the TEN. If this happens a Licensing Sub-Committee hearing can be avoided, and the event will be authorised in its modified form.

If the person who served the TEN does not agree to the modification of the TEN, then the hearing must take place.

If you submit your TEN later than 5 working days before the start of the event, or issuing your TEN will mean that you exceed one of the TEN limits, we must refuse your TEN. There is no route for appeal when this happens.

If your TEN is refused following a Licensing Sub-Committee hearing, then you can appeal to your local magistrates’ court. You must appeal within 21 days, and at least 5 working days before the date of your event.

No. The fee is to serve the TEN and not to pay for the period of authorisation.

The £21 fee you pay when you serve a TEN is not refundable, even if your TEN is refused.

No. It is your responsibility to make sure your TEN covers all the days and times you want to authorise. If you have to change the date or time of your event or realise that the details in the TEN you have submitted are incorrect, you will have to submit a new TEN.

The £21 fee is not refundable.

You can withdraw your TEN at any time up to 24 hours before the start date of the event.

You must withdraw your TEN in writing. This can be by an email sent to the licensing authority (enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk).

The £21 fee is not refundable if you withdraw your TEN, but the event will not count towards the number of TENs you can serve, or the number of days you can authorise in any year.