Item 5 Appendix 1 - Festive Hours Policy 2025-2026
West Dunbartonshire Council · 28 October 2025
Back to Licensing Board — 28 October 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE LICENSING BOARD Festive Hours Policy 2025/26 Background The West Dunbartonshire Licensing Board at its meeting of 28 October 2025 agreed the terms of its Festive Hours Policy in terms of section 67 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. The effect of this Policy is to grant premises additional hours where either:- 1. the premises’ Operating Plan at Question 4 indicates that they tend to operate according to seasonal demand; or 2. the premises successfully applies for an extended hours certificate. Requirements In order to utilise these additional hours premises must:- 1. make sure that their premises licence’s operating plan at Question 4 indicates that the premises intends to operate according to seasonal demand. If not, then an application for an extended hours certificates must be submitted and granted prior to the licensed premises using any additional hours; and 2. notify the Council’s Licensing Section and Police Scotland’s Licensing Department of those nights that the premises wishes to utilise the additional hours. Such notification must be made by 30 November 2024 (or where there are exceptional circumstances a later date as agreed with the Clerk to the Licensing Board). The email addresses are as follows:- • licensing@west-dunbarton.gov.uk • argylldunbartonshirelicensing@scotland.police.uk If these requirements are not met, then the premises cannot utilise the additional hours and must apply for an extended hours certificate. This application can be submitted via the Licensing Board’s webpage1. Period Monday, 8 December 2024 to Friday 2 January 2026 inclusive. Terms of Policy The effect of this Policy for premises where their operating plan at Question 4 indicates that they will trade according to seasonal demand, is as follows:- 1 https://www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/business/licences-permits-and-permissions/alcohol-licences/licences- extended- hours/#:~:text=An%20extended%20hour%27s%20application%20is,for%20a%20one%2Doff%20event.
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i) That premises without significant entertainment (public houses, hotel bars and members’ clubs fall into this category) may trade for one hour more than their normal licensed hours during the festive period with the exception of Hogmanay. ii) That premises licence holders without significant entertainment (public houses, hotel bars and members’ clubs) may trade to 3 am on Hogmanay on condition that last entry to the premises is 11pm and the event is pre- ticketed. iii) That premises licence holders offering significant entertainment (Nightclubs) may trade until 4 am during the festive period. It should be noted that premises must notify the Licensing Section and Police. Premises licence holders without permission to utilise festive extensions may apply for extended hours certificates in relation to the festive period so to mirror the additional hours narrated above. Questions Please contact the Council’s Licensing Section at licensing@west-dunbarton.gov.uk.