A rugby club with no beer

The club recently parted company with its latest listed licence holder and now has to go through the full application procedure before it can sell alcohol.
Meanwhile, it is skirting the requirements by offering free alcohol as part of ‘hospitality events’ packages to attend matches, including £15 for a meal, wine and jugs of beer or £10 for a buffet and beer, while urging supporters to bring their own alcoholic drinks as free alcohol stocks are limited.
West Berkshire Council’s chief licensing officer Brian Leahy said: “There are technical difficulties with that, and one of my officers is talking to them to make sure they stay on the straight and narrow.
“But we help them out where we can, legally of course.”
He also confirmed that the issue of a new licence is not imminent. “As far as I am aware we have no application currently with us for a new licence.
“They had a full premises licence which has been surrendered and they now need to go through the whole process again.
“Their licence was surrendered and as such is null and void and I have an officer advising them on how to very quickly, we hope, get a new application in.
“There is a mandatory 28 period prior to a licence being issued, and if there is an objection raised a hearing of the licensing committee has to be held within 20 days beyond that 28th day.
“We have given them a temporary events notices but they are limited in the number they can have.”
He added that the club will have to advertise its licence application via notices on the premises and through the council’s own public notices, but as yet had no application from the club.