Drinking / Licensing Laws

[CathH]

When attending fund raising events at my child's school, they cannot sell alcohol, but we can take our own in to drink.
Are there any laws around this and do you have to get permission for people to bring their own alcohol to an event?

[daffy654]

They are allowed to have alcohol on the premises as long as they aren't selling it. Some unlicenced restaurants allow this too.

[loonytunes]

The Licensing Act 2003 has been in force since November 2005. It changed the law in that consumption of alcohol was no longer convered by the law, only the sale by retail. So people taking their own alcohol to a function are not subject to licensing control and niether are the organisers. However, if there is music, dancing, films or plays being provided at the event, there is a possibility that and authorisation will be required. This is the same kind of licence which is equired for alcohol so, if one has to be obtained, the organisers may as well add the sale of alcohol to the other activities. This can be done by a Temporary Event Notice. You have to give at least 10 working days notice and no one can object except the police on crime prevention grounds so it is more or les a gimme. It costs �21 to give the notice and the organisers can make this back in just a few sales. Worth considering.

[Buenchico]

Further to Loonytune's answer, there's a relevant link, together with further details about TENs, in my post here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Law/Question477 294.html

Chris