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Designated Premises Supervisor

All businesses and organisations that sell or supply alcohol, apart from members clubs and some community premises, must have a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS).

A DPS is the person who has day-to-day responsibility for the running of a business and will have overall responsibility for ensuring sales are carried out lawfully.

If you are applying for a new premises licence and wish to sell alcohol, you will need to complete and submit a DPS consent form at the same time that you apply for your premises licence.

If the variation of DPS results in a change of food business operator, you will need to ensure the new operator registers as a food business.

For details on how we use data relating to licence holders and applicants, please see our privacy notice for licence holders and applicants.

Vary the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS)

Only the premises licence holder can apply to vary the DPS on a premises licence. If the licence is held in a company name, the application must be made in the company name by an authorised person.

To apply to change the DPS you must submit the following:

You can submit the application and pay the fee through our Online Application Portal.

Alternatively you can email the completed application and consent form to licensing@southoxon.gov.uk and licensing@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. We will then contact you by telephone to collect payment. Please note that the application is not complete until payment has been taken.

For online/email applications, the premises licence can be returned by post (please ensure the premises keeps a copy of the licence at the site). 

If you do not have access to email, you can post your application with the fee to Licensing Team, South Oxfordshire District Council at the below address. You also need to post a copy of the application and the consent form must also be sent to Thames Valley Police Licensing to Licensing Officer, Thames Valley Police, Headquarters (South), Kidlington, OX5 2NX. 

You will also need to inform the existing designated premises supervisor of the change. 

Ask to be removed as designated premises supervisor

If you no longer want to be the DPS you can ask for your name to be taken off the licence.

There’s no charge to be removed as the designated premises supervisor.

Simply email us at licensing@southoxon.gov.uk.

You must also confirm this in writing or by email to the current premises licence holder.

Remove the need to have a DPS

Community premises, such as village halls, no longer need to have a DPS. We have created some guidance on the process to remove a DPS.

If you are responsible for a community premises, you can remove an existing DPS and transfer the responsibility for alcohol sales to the management committee instead. Removing the need for a DPS costs £23.

To apply, please complete an application to remove the DPS requirement and submit it along with payment through our Online Application Portal.

Alternatively you can email the completed form to licensing@southoxon.gov.uk and Licensing@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. We will then contact you by telephone to collect payment. 

For online/email applications, the premises licence can be returned by post (please ensure the premises keeps a copy of the licence at the site). 

If you do not have access to email, you can post your application to the address in the contact details section with a cheque for the fee of £23 (made payable to South Oxfordshire District Council) to Licensing Team, South Oxfordshire District Council at the below address. A copy of the application and the consent form must also be sent to Licensing Officer, Thames Valley Police, Headquarters (South), Kidlington, OX5 2NX. 

Contact us - Licensing

01235 422556
(Text phone users add 18001 before dialing)

South Oxfordshire District Council
Abbey House
Abbey Close
Abingdon
OX14 3JE