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Designated Premises Supervisor

A Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) is required in any licensed premises where alcohol is supplied (with the exception of community premises, church halls and village halls - see Disapplication of DPS) and is expected to be the point of contact for Licensing Authorities, Police or Fire services if any problems occur.

A premises will not be authorised to supply alcohol without a DPS. All applications for a Premises Licence must also include a DPS consent form. A DPS must also hold a current Personal Licence. Although the DPS is not required to be on site at all times they are expected to spend a significant time on the premises and should always be contactable, a premises can only have one DPS at any time.

Please select from the options below:


Disapplication of Designated Premises Supervisor

It is now possible for community, church and village halls to apply to remove the mandatory condition to have a Designated Premises Supervisor and pass the responsibility for authorising the supply or sale of alcohol to a management committee.  The application must come from a committee or board with responsibility for the management of the community premises.

The criteria for eligibility is the same as those used for fee exemptions:  those premises that are made available for community benefit most of the time and accessible by a broad range of persons and sectors of the community, including for purposes beneficial to the community as a whole.  Premises that have an existing Premises Licence but are exempt from fees can usually apply for the disapplication of the DPS.

As Premises Licence Holder, the management committee will collectively be responsible for ensuring compliance with licence conditions and the law.

Please refer to the DPS guidance (opens new window) before making your application.

To apply you should:

On receipt of your application South Holland District Council will make a decision based on whether:

  • the applicant is, or is to be, a committee or board of individuals with responsibility for the management of the premises
  • the premises is a Community Premises
  • the arrangements for the management of the premises by the committee or board are sufficient to ensure adequate supervision of the supply of alcohol on the premises in different situations (e.g. private parties)
  • replacing the requirement to have a DPS with the alternative licence condition will have a negative impact on the licensing objectives.


Vary Designated Premises Supervisor

If you would like to change the current DPS, you will need to complete and submit our vary a Designated Premises Supervisor application form (PDF) [39KB] (opens new window)  and Premises Supervisor Consent form (PDF) [21KB] (opens new window)  along with the fee of £23. 

You must also return the original Premises Licence, if this is not available you should send a covering letter confirming reasons for not having the original document and enclose an additional fee of £10.50.

A copy of the completed application and consent form must also be sent to the Police at:

Chief Officer of Police
Licensing
Police Headquarters
PO Box 999
Lincoln
LN5 7PH

The Police will confirm to us that they have received your application, if they do not, we may reject it. The Police have a 14 day period in which to make objections to the proposed new DPS. If no objections, we will notify you within 10 working days and you will receive your licence within 20 working days. If an objection is received the application will go to a hearing in front of the Licensing Sub-Committee at South Holland District Council.

Please note the Designated Premises Supervisor must hold a current Personal Licence issued by the local Authority in which they live.


Change of name or address of Designated Premises Supervisor

If you need to notify us of a change of name or address of a DPS please complete and send the relevant application form along with the fee for £10.50 (please refer to the application form for available methods of payment) to South Holland District Council. You must also return the original Premises Licence, if this is not available you should send a covering letter confirming reasons for not having the original document.


Request to be removed as Designated Premises Supervisor

If you would like to apply to be removed as DPS for a premises please complete the Request to be Removed as Designated Premises Supervisor (PDF) [166KB] (opens new window)  form.

South Holland District Council's Licensing Team will contact you to confirm your requirements and those of the premises.

Please note if there is no Designated Premises Supervisor or if the Designated Premises Supervisor does not have a Personal Licence, no supply of alcohol can be made.

For further information on Designated Premises Supervisors please refer to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (opens new window).

For the full Licensing Act 2003, which regulates Alcohol and Entertainment, please visit the Licensing Act 2003 legislation (opens new window).

If you are unable to find the information you need, please contact us.