Coronavirus Updates (Alcohol & Entertainment)

Last updated on 14 January 2021

Contact Licensing

To contact Licensing via the phone while our office is closed, please call 01744 676770.

Alternatively, you can contact us via email: general licensing email.

Please be aware the phones will be busy and we would advise you to email us. Please note that we aim to answer your email on the same working day or the next available working day.

Operational Hours

Please be aware of a change to our current working arrangements and due to the high levels of COVID-19 across the country. From Monday 18th January we will no longer have any of the small resource we currently have, working from Wesley House. This should not affect you too much; however if you post any documents to us then it is likely to be some days before they are collected as we intend to only have this collected once or twice a week.

For any applications you should continue to use the online application facility that is available on our website or alternatively scan any applications to our email.

If you need to contact us, the fastest way to do this is via the general licensing email. This is monitored constantly during working hours. Our telephone calls are still being dealt with by the contact centre, but you are more likely to experience a delay if you use this method.

Don't forget to let us know about any problems you may be experiencing and we'll do our best to help.

Latest Updates and Information

Guidance for people who work in or run restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes or takeaways.

National Lockdown, 6 January 2021

Following on from the government announcement of the lockdown, hospitality premises such as pubs, bars, social clubs, restaurants, cinemas, bingo halls, theatres and bowling alleys must close.

For all current updates and information regarding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its impact, please see the below links:

Deliveries and Collections

Please note that deliveries of food and drink, including alcohol from your premises direct to customers following an order made by telephone or the internet, are permitted in line with any conditions and timings on your licence. For any collections from a premises, including click and collect services, this CANNOT include any alcohol and can only be done up until 11pm. Also a customer CANNOT be allowed to enter a premises in order to collect their order.

If you wish to contact us regarding a delivery service or discuss the requirements for a delivery service please contact us by email.

General Advice for Securing your Premises

St Helens Borough Council understands that should your premises have to close due to this current lockdown, it is important that it be secured sufficiently. Please see below our general advice on how best to secure your premises during this difficult time:

Remove any stock or items of value from the premises or secure them in a safe area.
Ensure any alarm systems are checked and are working correctly.
Ensure CCTV is working and that it is timed and dated correctly - consider using a mobile phone app.
Consider timer switches or ensure that the premise are sufficiently well lit.
Make sure all shutters, doors and windows are secured.
Display signage that the premises has been secured and that no cash or any items of value have been left on site and that the premises CCTV remains operational.
Check your current insurance cover.

Coronavirus Signage and Information Posters

As your business prepares to re-open, below are some posters you can print off and use to help you maintain social distancing in your premises.

Below you can find information posters written in different languages so people who don't speak English as their first language can keep up to date with the latest coronavirus information. The posters are available in the following languages: Urdu, Tamil, Kurdish Sorani, Arabic, Farsi.

Please display these posters in a prominent place in your premises.

Hospitality Industry Action Pack

Purple Flag/ATCM will soon be announcing a new partnership and member benefit with the Shield Safety Group and they are currently offering a free action pack to the hospitality industry and key partners (you don't have to be a member to access the information).

Click here to view the COVID-360 Action Pack

What does the pack contain?

Shutdown Checklist - If you need to close your business, make sure you do it in a safe and robust manner.
Convert to Takeaway - Keep trading and fighting for revenue by diversifying your services.
Re-Opening Guide - Get prepared to start trading again as quickly and safely as possible.