Entertainment Licensing

Service Charter

What the Environmental Health Entertainment Licensing Service does

The aim of the Environmental Health Service is to ‘protect and enhance the health and safety of the community’ One of the areas of activity is in Entertainment Licensing, where we:

• advise about aspects of entertainment licensing
• inspect and grant licences to premises used for activities subject to entertainment licensing legislation such as theatre productions, cinema displays, music etc
• investigate complaints about the activities in these premises
• take formal action against offenders where other action is unsuccessful

Our Standards

We undertake to:

• respond to complaints about the standard of licensed premises within seven working days, or immediately if it is agreed that there is imminent danger to safety
• respond within three working days of receipt of other requests for service, although for letters, which often contain more complex requests, we will respond within a maximum of ten working days
• approve satisfactory applications for licences within 28 days
• inspect all such entertainment premises at least once a year
• listen to your problem where you have complained or otherwise asked for action in relation to public entertainments and explain the possible courses of action. An appropriate course will be agreed with you
• ensure that all complaints are, unless otherwise agreed, treated in confidence
• keep you informed about the progress of the investigation
• advise you of the outcome of the investigation and any action taken to resolve your request
• try to advise you of the options available to you if we’re unable to help with your enquiry
• carry out surveys to discover the underlying needs of our customers

We strive always to provide a quality service.

Help and advice

We are always willing to give advice on Entertainment Licensing.You can call in at the Civic Offices or phone us on 01252 774421. Staff are normally available between 8.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday. It is advisable to make prior arrangements by telephone if you wish to see a particular person.

How can we improve the service?

Let us know about any problems you have experienced or suggestions you may have regarding the service by calling the Council’s Chief Environmental Health Officer, (Commercial Services), on 01252 774421

or by writing to him at: Environmental Services, Hart District Council, Civic Offices, Harlington Way, Fleet, Hampshire GU51 4AE

or on email: eh@hart.gov.uk

Help us to help you

There are several things that you can do to help us provide a quick and efficient service:

• If you are calling about a matter which we have already discussed with you, please quote the reference number, if any, for your service enquiry. It is printed in the heading of our correspondence with you, so have a previous letter to hand when you call
• if you are complaining about a specific building or other premises, please ensure that you have an accurate address when you contact us
• be aware that most of the officers are out of the office for most of the day, so if you are unable to talk to the person you want immediately, please be patient and someone will get back to you
• What to do if things go wrong

If you are dissatisfied with our services in any way you can write to the Council’s Chief Environmental Health Officer (Commercial Services) or telephone him on 01252 774421.

He will investigate your complaint and respond to you in writing within ten working days. If because of the nature of your complaint he is unable to complete the investigation within ten days, he will write and let you know when to expect a full response.

You may also wish to speak to your local District Councillor. Our receptionist will be happy to provide you with a list of Councillors’ addresses and telephone numbers.

If your complaint is not resolved or dealt with to your satisfaction, ask for a copy of our Comments, Complaints and Compliments leaflet. This explains in detail how you can pursue the matter further.

By contacting us you can help us improve our service to you.