I wish to make a complaint about a licensed premises

How to make a complaint

To make a complaint you will need to email us or write to us at:

Licencing Department
Hastings Borough Council
Muriel Matters House
Breeds Place
Hastings
East Sussex
TN34 3UY

You will need to supply us with as much information as possible including:

• your name and contact details
• the premises name and address
• whether the problem happened once or is ongoing
• as much information about your complaint such as dates and times that and what the nature of the problem was like excessive noise
• whether you have reported the problem to anyone else such as the police or another department at the council.

Please note that we will not reveal your identity to the premises licence holder without your permission. However if the issue were to go to court we would need to disclose your information.

What happens next?

We will write to you to confirm that we have received your complaint and to notify you that we have opened an investigation. You will be told which Licensing Officer will be investigating the complaint and how they will do so. 

The Licensing Officer will then begin investigating your complaint to determine its validity and to gather further evidence. Throughout the investigation we will keep you updated on what we have been doing.

If your complaint is valid and we are able to prove so we will take action. We will work with the premises licence holder to resolve the problem. If they are found to not have a licence or to be in breach of their licence they will be warned and given the chance to put things right.

As soon as we have a resolution we will notify you. It can take up to 8 weeks to complete an investigation.

What if the problem continues?

If the problem continues you should make another complaint to us straight away. As soon as we receive your complaint we will open a new investigation. Previous complaints will be taken into account as part of our new investigation.

Keep a record of issues and problems such as a diary, photographs, correspondence, results of any previous complaints you made to us or to anyone else such as the police. Get support from your neighbours or local businesses in the form of written statements.

If the premises is found to be in breach of its licence again, or still hasn't got a licence or the correct licence, we will normally issue a caution or may prosecute. Should we decide to prosecute the premises, all details will be included as evidence wherever possible.

You may want to call for a review of a licence, this is a more formal route. You may also want to raise your concerns with your ward councillor if the problem persists.