Designated premises supervisor

This page contains information on applications to be registered as a designated premises supervisor under the Licensing Act 2003.

The main purpose of a designated premises supervisor (DPS) is to ensure that there is always one specified individual, among other personal licence holders employed at the venue, to take day-to-day responsibility for running the premises. This person will therefore occupy a pivotal position and will deal with the responsible authorities on problems associated with the premises licence.

The DPS must hold a personal licence and only one DPS may be specified on a premises licence. A DPS does not have to be present at the licensed premises at all times but they must be easy to contact when they are not.

Police objection

The police may object to the designation of a new premises supervisor where, in exceptional circumstances, they believe that the appointment would undermine the crime prevention objective.

Review of licences

The police can, at any stage after the appointment of the DPS, seek a review of a premises licence on any grounds relating to the licensing objectives if anxieties arise about the performance of the DPS.

Application forms can be obtained from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

For further information please contact the Legal and Licensing section.