Host Responsibility Policy
Amenity and good order
Intoxication and excessive alcohol consumption can have an impact on the local environment and holders of alcohol licences need to consider how they will manage these impacts around their premises.
Factors such as noise, litter, graffiti and anti-social behaviour can have a significant impact on the local area and as such can reflect on the suitability of applicant. Failure to manage the local amenity and good order can also cause concerns for the local community and lead to public objections.
A host responsibility policy should consider:
- Not tolerating disorderly or offensive behaviour on or around the premises.
- Regularly check to ensure the bathroom facilities are kept clean, safe and available.
- Manage noise so as not to disturb neighbours.
- Remind customers using external areas to be considerate of neighbours.
- Monitoring activity outside the premises in relation to disorderly behaviour
- Managing access to the premises where necessary to prevent access by intoxicated persons.
- Routinely maintain the locality directly around the premises, for example rubbish removal.
Managing minors and intoxication
Provision of food
Food registration
Holders of an on licence are highly likely to require a food registration in order to provide food.
Low and non-alcoholic options
The Act requires on licence holders to stock a reasonable range of low and non-alcoholic options. Your host responsibility policy should outline their availability and they should be held in stock at all times.
The Act also requires licence holders to stock low alcohol refreshments. Low alcohol beverages are defined as alcoholic beverages between 1.15% abv and less than 2.5% abv at 20 degrees. Applicants should note that provision of non-alcoholic options does not remove the requirement to provide low alcohol options and licenced premises will need to stock both low and non-alcoholic options.
On-licence holders are also required to provide free water at all times the premises is open for the sale of alcohol.
Staff training
Responsible hosts need to have training processes in place to ensure that staff have sufficient ability to manage alcohol on the premises. The premises should have a training policy in place that outlines:
- Who will conduct training and what records will be kept?
- What tools the business has to ensure minors and intoxicated persons are identified.
- What actions are expected of staff when dealing with minors or intoxicated persons.
- How food is to be promoted.
- How transport options are promoted.
- How often refresher training will be completed.
Training can include:
- Staff induction training
- Regular staff meetings
- In house training sessions
- External training sessions
- Online training sessions (see below)
- Staff mentoring
Online training providers for host responsibility include:
Provision of duty managers
Nearly all licenced premises are required by law to have sufficient certificated managers on duty at all times that alcohol is being sold or supplied.
A host responsibility policy should outline how this will be achieved.
Safe transport options
Licensees are required to provide free information about alternative forms of transport from their business for staff and patrons.
The host responsibility policy should describe what these processes are, how they will be promoted and how staff will be trained to promote these.
Options might include:
- Actively promote hire-a-driver type scheme
- Make a telephone readily available to arrange sober transport (taxi or private)
- Have bus timetables available.
- A courtesy van
- Operate a designated driver scheme.
Alcohol promotion
Licensees need to ensure that any promotions they undertake for their premises are not deemed to be irresponsible.
Irresponsible promotion includes anything that encourages people, or is likely to encourage people, to consume alcohol to an excessive extent.
The Act creates offensive and penalties for promotions deemed to be irresponsible and licence holders need to consider this when advertising or promoting their premises.
Irresponsible promotions can include (but are not limited to):
- Anything that encourages excessive drinking e.g., drinking games, bottomless brunches etc.
- Promotion of free alcohol (including free samples)
- Advertising heavily discounted alcohol outside the premises (>25% of the ordinary sale price)
- Promotion of alcohol as a prize
- Promotion of alcohol to minors
- Wording such as crazy or massive discounts
