Alcohol licensing

[saxy_jag]

In England, if a community centre has a licensed bar, is it legal for centre users to bring their own alcohol onto the premises for consumption?

[Buenchico]

It would be legal for the centre users to bring their own booze irrespective of whether an on-sales licence is held or not. However the vast majority of community centres rely, in part, on their bar income to keep the place running, so they'd probably exercise their right to prohibit users from bringing their own alcohol onto the premises.

Chris

[saxy_jag]

Thanks - that confirms what I thought - not illegal but they just don't like it. They charge £2.60 for a 300ml bottle of Budweiser and I won't pay that. I get it from our off-licence at half that price and take it in with me. The centre's a community arts centre attached to the university, so how they expect their students to afford those prices is beyond me. Maybe they just don't want students in there.

They have plastic cups in the water fountain - maybe I'll put some in one of those next time I go out to the bar and tell her it's pop. ;-)

Fanku.

[Buenchico]

Thanks for the reply.

It does occur to me that the local authority MIGHT have inserted an obscure condition into the premises licence, barring the consumption of alcohol not purchased on the premises, but I've never heard of such a condition being imposed and I can't think of any reason why a local authority would want to do so.

Bud for £2.60? That's cheap! I've paid £3 or £3.30 in London pubs (not in tourist areas either) recently. I won't buy it at Somerset House though; it's £4 per bottle there!

[Answerprancer]

Agreed, three quid is normal for a weeny bottle of p!ss water unfortunately.
I went to a private party held in a local bar where it was four quid a pint, so I nipped out and smuggled in two tins of Tennents Super, ordered one pint at the bar then sneaked off to the bog a few times to top it up !

[DTCwordfan]

Now thats anotherslant on watered down beer - bit like the old time graffiti in the mens toilets when Watneys was around "Watney's Red Barrel - made here."

[saxy_jag]

When I can get Bud for around £1.80 a bottle (OK, so not quite half the price), I refuse to pay £2.60 for it. Couple of drinks apeice and that's a tenner before I've even got my sax out and played a note.Their bar's not even open half the time and we never know whether it will be or not.

But the next time the girl on the bar tells me it's illegal, I can at least tell her she's wrong.