Every premises licensed for the sale of alcohol must have someone named as the designated premises supervisor (DPS).

Role of DPS

The DPS is responsible for the sale of alcohol at licensed premises. They also act as the main point of contact for any licensing, compliance or enforcement enquiries.

Who should be DPS

The DPS should be a person with sufficient authority to control and direct activities at the licensed premises. Normally, this is the person who has day to day responsibility for running the premises.

The DPS can also be the premises licence holder.

Appoint a DPS

You must provide a DPS when applying for a premises licence. A premises licence can only name one DPS, but a DPS can be named on more than one premises licence.

Changing the DPS

If you change your DPS then you must apply to make a change to your premises licence.

You can change the DPS in 2 ways.

How to apply

Apply online

Complete the online form and consent form.

You should save a copy of the completed form for your own records.

If you apply online, we will send the additional copy of your application to the police.

Apply by post

Print and complete the vary DPS application form.

You should keep a copy of the completed form for your own records.

You can post the completed form back to:

Licensing Team
London Borough of Sutton
Civic Offices
St Nicholas Way
Sutton
SM1 1EA

You will also need to send a copy of your completed form to the police at:

Licensing Officer
Sutton Police Station
6 Carshalton Road
Sutton
SM1 4RF

Fee

You can find the cost for the application on our fees page.

You can pay online or over the phone by calling 020 8770 5000.

Consent Form

The proposed DPS must complete and sign a consent form that confirms they agree to be responsible for the sale of alcohol at the premises.

If the form is completed by hand and sent in the post, this document must be the original and not a copy.

What happens next

As soon as we receive your application, we will check to ensure that the application is valid and has been submitted to the police.

If we identify a problem

If there is a minor problem with the application, we may contact you for further information or may return the application to you for correction. Where there is a fundamental error, the application may be rejected.

Objections by the police

If you apply to change the DPS and the police have concerns about the proposed person, they can object to the application (within 14 days). In such cases we will contact you.

If you wish to proceed with the application we will hold a hearing of the Council's licensing committee to decide on the application.

If no objections are received

We will send the varied licence to you.

How long does it take to vary the DPS

We aim to process variation of DPS applications within 28 days of receipt (or sooner if the police raise no objection).

However, you can ask that your application takes immediate effect from the date that we receive it by ticking the appropriate box on the application form.

Remove yourself as the DPS

If you no longer wish to be named as the DPS on a premises licence, you must tell us in writing.