The trade of alcohol is a notoriously difficult industry. Not only is it constantly evolving, incredibly competitive and at the whim of the economy, but it is also mired in bureaucracy. For a key member of staff to lose their personal licence due to the simple error of missing the refresher training requirement can be devastating for both the business and the individual.
If a current licence holder misses either the notification or training deadline it will result in immediate revocation of the licence. This leaves the individual unable to trade alcohol and the business without a key member of staff.
Until recently, the revocation of the licence resulted in a five-year period in which the individual could not reapply. Due to campaigning by thousands of disgruntled former licence holders, the five-year suspension is no longer applicable. The government realised that such a penalty was disproportionate for such a small lapse of judgement, it prioritised a review of the Air Weapons and Licensing Act 2015 which resulted in the suspension of reapplication being removed. Now, when a licence is lost due to a missed deadline, the individual may reapply immediately without the need to wait for five years.
It is important to note that this only applies to individuals who lost their licence through missing either training or notification deadlines, for revocation under other grounds the five-year postponement for reapplication still applies.
The syllabus has changed in recent years and it is strongly advised that current personal licence holders sit an up-to-date and accredited personal licence course to avoid any issues in the future.