West Dunbartonshire Licensing Board - Festive Hours Policy 2025/26
Background
The West Dunbartonshire Licensing Board at its meeting of 28 October 2025 agreed the terms of its Festive Hours Policy in terms of section 67 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.
The effect of this Policy is to grant premises additional hours where either:-
- the premises’ Operating Plan at Question 4 indicates that they tend to operate according to seasonal demand; or
- the premises successfully applies for an extended hours certificate.
Requirements
In order to utilise these additional hours premises must:
- make sure that their premises licence’s operating plan at Question 4 indicates that the premises intends to operate according to seasonal demand. If not, then an application for an extended hours certificates must be submitted and granted prior to the licensed premises using any additional hours; and
- notify the Council’s Licensing Section and Police Scotland’s Licensing Department of those nights that the premises wishes to utilise the additional hours. Such notification must be made by 30 November 2025 (or where there are exceptional circumstances a later date as agreed with the Clerk to the Licensing Board).
The email addresses are as follows:-
If these requirements are not met, then the premises cannot utilise the additional hours and must apply for an extended hours certificate. This application can be submitted via the extended hours page.
Period
Monday, 8 December 2025 to Friday 2 January 2026 inclusive.
Terms of Policy
The effect of this Policy for premises where their operating plan at Question 4 indicates that they will trade according to seasonal demand, is as follows:-
- That premises without significant entertainment (public houses, hotel bars and members’ clubs fall into this category) may trade for one hour more than their normal licensed hours during the festive period with the exception of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Hogmanay. (The rules for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Hogmanay are detailed below.)
- That premises licence holders without significant entertainment (public houses, hotel bars and members’ clubs) may trade to 3 am on Hogmanay on condition that last entry to the premises is 11pm and the event is pre-ticketed.
- That premises licence holders without significant entertainment (public houses, hotel bars and members’ clubs) may trade to 2 am on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
- That premises licence holders offering significant entertainment (Nightclubs) may trade until 4 am during the festive period.
It should be noted that premises must notify the Licensing Service and Police at the above noted email addresses.
Premises licence holders without permission to utilise festive extensions may apply for extended hours certificates in relation to the festive period so to mirror the additional hours narrated above.
Please contact the Council’s Licensing Service at licensing@west-dunbarton.gov.uk if you have any queries.