Licensing Act 2003

47 Interim authority notice following death etc. of licence holder

(1) This section applies where—

(a) a premises licence lapses under section 27 in a case within subsection (1)(a), (b) or (c) of that section (death, incapacity or insolvency of the holder), but

(b) no application for transfer of the licence has been made by virtue of section 50 (reinstatement of licence on transfer following death etc.).

(2) A person who—

(a) has a prescribed interest in the premises concerned, or

(b) is connected to the person who held the premises licence immediately before it lapsed (“the former holder”),

may, during the initial seven day period, give to the relevant licensing authority a notice (an “interim authority notice”) in respect of the licence.

(3) Subsection (2) is subject to regulations under—

(a) section 54 (form etc. of notices etc.);

(b) section 55 (fees to accompany applications etc.).

(4) Only one interim authority notice may be given under subsection (2).

(5) For the purposes of subsection (2) a person is connected to the former holder of the premises licence if, and only if—

(a) the former holder has died and that person is his personal representative,

(b) the former holder has become mentally incapable and that person acts for him under a power of attorney created by an instrument registered under section 6 of the Enduring Powers of Attorney Act 1985 (c. 29) , or

(c) the former holder has become insolvent and that person is his insolvency practitioner.

(6) Where an interim authority notice is given in accordance with this section—

(a) the premises licence is reinstated from the time the notice is received by the relevant licensing authority, and

(b) the person who gave the notice is from that time the holder of the licence.

(7) But the premises licence lapses again—

(a) at the end of the initial seven day period unless before that time the person who gave the interim authority notice has given a copy of the notice to the chief officer of police for the police area (or each police area) in which the premises are situated;

(b) at the end of the interim authority period, unless before that time a relevant transfer application is made to the relevant licensing authority.

(8) Nothing in this section prevents the person who gave the interim authority notice from making a relevant transfer application.

(9) If—

(a) a relevant transfer application is made during the interim authority period, and

(b) that application is rejected or withdrawn,

the licence lapses again at the time of the rejection or withdrawal.

(10) In this section—

• “becomes insolvent” is to be construed in accordance with section 27;

• “initial seven day period”, in relation to a licence which lapses as mentioned in subsection (1), means the period of seven days beginning with the day after the day the licence lapses;

• “insolvency practitioner”, in relation to a person, means a person acting as an insolvency practitioner in relation to him (within the meaning of section 388 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (c. 45));

• “interim authority period” means the period beginning with the day on which the interim authority notice is received by the relevant licensing authority and ending—

  (a)

  two months after that day, or

  (b)

  if earlier, when it is terminated by the person who gave the interim authority notice notifying the relevant licensing authority to that effect;

• “mentally incapable” has the same meaning as in section 27(1)(b); and

• “relevant transfer application” in relation to the premises licence, is an application under section 42 which is given interim effect by virtue of section 43.