Draft Licensing Act 2003 (Permitted Temporary Activities) (Amendment) Order 2026

Jo White Excerpts

Wednesday 11th November 2026 General Committees

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Jo White)]

I beg to move,

That the Committee has considered the draft Licensing Act 2003 (Permitted Temporary Activities) (Amendment) Order 2026.

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Jardine. The purpose of this instrument, laid before the House on 10 September, is simple. It will increase the number of temporary event notices that may be given in respect of a single premises from 15 to 20 in each calendar year. It will also increase the maximum number of days on which temporary events may take place at those premises from 21 to 26. Subject to Parliament’s approval, the new limits will come into force on 1usb January 2027, when the annual entitlements are reset.

Temporary event notices, or TENs, are a means of authorising licensable activities on a temporary basis without the need to obtain or permanently vary a premises licence. Those activities may include the sale or supply of alcohol, regulated entertainment or the provision of late-night refreshments. TENs can also be used by premises that already hold a licence but wish temporarily to undertake an activity or operate at a time that is not covered by their existing licence. The system is used by a wide variety of businesses, individuals and community organisations. A TEN might allow a pub or restaurant to hold an additional event, but equally it could support an event at a school, a community centre, a church hall, a wedding venue, a market or a small festival.

Under the changes before the Committee, responsible organisers will be given additional flexibility to respond to local demand and hold more well-run events. The order will support local economic activity, provide new opportunities for communities to come together and remove an unnecessary constraint on business. I am sure that all of us here recognise the contribution made by the hospitality sector, not only to our economy but to our high streets and communities. I do not suggest that this targeted measure will address every pressure facing the sector. However, it is a sensible and proportionate step that will give businesses greater flexibility without requiring a fundamental change to the licensing system.

The limits proposed in this instrument are not untested. Higher thresholds of 20 TENs and 26 days applied temporarily during 2022 and 2023 as part of the response to the economic effects of the covid-19 pandemic. Information available to the Home Office did not identify a significant increase in adverse impacts linked to those higher limits.

The Government have carefully considered the differing views expressed in a call for evidence on licensing reform. Hospitality businesses and trade bodies generally supported greater flexibility. Some local authorities, public health organisations, residents and community groups raised concerns about public nuisance, crime and disorder, public health and additional pressure on local services. We have taken those concerns most seriously. The instrument makes a modest adjustment to the annual limits while keeping the safeguards at the heart of the Licensing Act 2003 firmly in place.

The four licensing objectives—the prevention of crime and disorder; public safety; the prevention of public nuisance; and the protection of children from harm—will continue to apply. The police and environmental health authorities will continue to receive temporary event notices, and they may object where they consider that a proposed event would undermine one or more of those objectives. Where objections cannot be resolved, the licensing authority may, where appropriate, impose conditions on a TEN or issue a counter-notice preventing the event from proceeding. Licensing authorities will still be required to issue a counter-notice where the statutory limits are exceeded.

We should be clear about the limited nature of this change. The instrument does not alter the limits that apply to an individual premises user, whether or not that person holds a personal licence, nor does it change how individual notices or event days are counted. It simply increases the annual premises-level limits by five notices and five days. The instrument applies in England and Wales and makes the necessary consequential amendments to the prescribed TEN forms. The statutory guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act will also be updated to reflect the new limits when the order comes into force. In designing those changes, we have been acutely aware of the need to balance support for businesses with protection of residents and local communities. The order strikes that balance. I commend it to the Committee.

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[Jo White]

I am grateful for the contributions and comments from hon. Members. I agree with the hon. Member for Stockton West that this order will give our armed services personnel and those who want to participate in Remembrance events greater opportunities to meet together.

Hospitality businesses play an important role in strengthening communities and creating places where people can come together. That is why the Government have delivered permanently lower business rates for more than 750,000 eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. We have also provided targeted support for pubs, clubs and live music venues, and are reviewing pub and hotel valuations to ensure that the system is fairer, more transparent and more predictable. We have also invested £10 million through the new hospitality grant scheme to support growth, boost resilience, create jobs and strengthen local economies.

Hospitality businesses continue to face significant cost pressures, and the Government want to provide practical measures that support growth, high streets and local communities. The increase in the number and availability of TENs is a low-burden change that provides additional flexibility without requiring businesses to go through the process of obtaining a full premises licence variation. On the issue raised by the hon. Member for Cheltenham, strip clubs are regulated under different legislation—the Local Government Act 2003—but I will take his point back to the Home Office and ensure that the Policing Minister follows up with him.

I once again thank hon. Members for their thoughtful contributions to this debate. As I have set out, this sensible and proportionate measure will support our hospitality sector while maintaining the important checks and balances that underpin the licensing regime. With that, I commend the order to the Committee.

Question put and agreed to.