Democracy Spraffa

Item 8 Appendix 1 - Festive Hours Policy 2024-2025

West Dunbartonshire Council · 3 September 2024
Back to Licensing Board — 3 September 2024 and its agenda

Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.

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Page 1

WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE LICENSING BOARD
Festive Hours Policy 2024/25 
Background
The West Dunbartonshire Licensing Board at its meeting of 3 September 2024 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 2023 (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, 9 December 2024 to Thursday 2 January 2025 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.