Alcohol and Entertainment Licences

This section of the site contains information relating to licensing premises and persons who sell or supply alcohol, provide public entertainment including; plays, films, live & recorded music, performance of dance facilities for dancing, late night refreshments and indoor sporting events.

Licensing Act 2003 Policy

The Licensing Act 2003 requires a licensing authority to prepare and publish a statement of its licensing policy at least every five years.  The current policy came into effect on 01 November 2020 and it is now required that the policy be reviewed and a new policy approved on or before 01 November 2025.  The policy sets out how the authority regulates relevant businesses, details how businesses should operate and informs how the authority carries out its statutory duties.  Advice is also provided in relation to applications.

Torfaen County Borough Council are now in the process of reviewing its current Statement of Licensing Policy, a revised draft version has been produced.  If you wish to make any comments about the revised draft policy, you can do so in writing by emailing licensing@torfaen.gov.uk or to ‘Licensing’, TCBC, Civic Centre, Pontypool NP4 6YB.  All comments must be received by no later than 4pm on Friday 05 September 2025.

All comments received will be considered before a final version is approved.  

Office Opening Hours

We currently operate an appointment system for personal callers. Applications and supporting documents, must where possible, be emailed to licensing@torfaen.gov.uk. If this is not possible, please contact the team either by email or by telephone on 01633 647286 and an appointment can be made.  

Minimum Unit Pricing on Alcohol

On 2 March 2020 The Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol)(Wales) Act 2018 came into effect.

The Welsh Government has introduced the legislation to try and reduce the number of alcohol related illnesses and deaths in Wales.

The new law means that retailers must now charge a minimum unit price of 50p per unit for alcoholic drinks, based on the amount of alcohol in the product. This applies to both ON sale and OFF sale premises.  Online retail sales are also included in the law, so if you purchase from an online retailer they may ask to check your postcode before confirming the price of their products.

A retailer should not mislead you on price.  If you have concerns that a shop is charging a higher price at the till than is displayed on the label, you should let Trading Standards know, by calling the national consumer advice line on 03454 040506.

If you hold a licence to sell alcohol in Torfaen, especially in an off licence setting, then you will be receiving a visit from the Torfaen County Borough Council Trading Standards Team to provide you with more information on how the law affects you. If you have any queries in the meantime, please contact trading.standards@torfaen.gov.uk

Alternatively, you can find more information, including downloadable posters and information leaflets on the Welsh Government website. 

Child Sexual Exploitation - Know the signs

To help keep children safe Heddlu Gwent Police are again urging members of the public to be vigilant about this kind of criminality, and to contact them by dialling 101 or 999 in an emergency with any information they may have. To help members of the public recognise the signs of exploitation and abuse Gwent Police have published a web page.

The Police would rather hear from concerned members of the public who report issues which turn out not to be Child sexual exploitation (CSE), than not be called at all.

Electronic Cigarettes

We receive regular enquiries about the use of electronic cigarettes in relevant premises, and licensed vehicles. The advice/information we are currently offering is as follows:

• Whilst they are not illegal it would be hard to prove that they are not a real cigarette if seen by an enforcement officer passing by
• That it does not send the correct message to the customers and could lead to abuse of the legislation
• JD Wetherspoons pubs have decided to implement an internal policy to prevent their use on their premises

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide information here when necessary.

Postal address for Police Licensing Officer

Please note that any correspondence that needs to be sent to the Police Licensing Officer should be sent to:

The Chief Officer of Police
Licensing Department
Caerphilly Road
Ystrad Mynach
CF82 7EP

The Licensing Act 2003 

The Licensing Act 2003 came into effect on 24 November 2005. In February 2005 the Licensing Authority began to administer the conversion of Justice's Licences to the new Personal and Premises licences. All premises involved in the sale of alcohol or the provision of late night refreshments and regulated entertainment were affected. 

If you have concerns about any of the applications for licences under the new act you may have the right to make representations or objections about applications. For information on how to do this please see the information leaflet under the general section. 

The Licensing Act places a legal obligation on the Licensing Authority to publish a Public Register of applications and licences granted, this can be viewed from the link in the general section. 

Current Licensing Act 2003 - Consultation Notices can be found here.

The Live Music Act 2012

The Live Music Act 2012 came into effect on the 1 October 2012.  A brief summary of the provisions of the Act has been provided for your information.

Guidance for "Community Events"

The Local Government Association has published a guide to Community Events. This document is intended for Councillors, but is relevant to all those who are involved in the organisation of such events. It covers such aspects such as street closures, licences, insurance and public liability. 

Please Note - Torfaen County Borough Council (The Council) is under a duty to protect the public funds which it administers and to this end may use the information you provide within Torfaen County Borough Council for the prevention and detection of fraud. The Council may also share this information with other bodies administering or in receipt of public funds solely for these purposes. For further information, visit the National Fraud Initiative area of the website. 

Last Modified: 23/07/2025 Back to top