Every premises licence that authorises alcohol must name a Designated Premises Supervisor — and when your manager leaves, the DPS must change before the new manager takes responsibility for sales. It’s one of the cheapest, fastest applications in licensing, and one of the most commonly botched. Here’s the exact process.
What you need
- The incoming DPS’s personal licence details — they must hold one. If they don’t yet, the online APLH plus council application takes 2–4 weeks (guide), so start there.
- Their signed consent form — the “consent of the individual to being specified as premises supervisor”.
- An application to vary the licence to specify a new DPS — to the council that issued the premises licence, fee £23.
- The premises licence (or the relevant part) to be amended.
The immediate-effect trick
Tick the box requesting the variation take immediate effect. From the moment the council receives a complete application, the new DPS is treated as in place — no waiting for processing. This is how pubs handle a Friday-afternoon manager walkout lawfully.
Who to notify
- The council (the application itself).
- The police receive a copy — they can object within 14 days, but only on crime-prevention grounds in exceptional circumstances.
- The outgoing DPS should be sent notification.
Common failure modes
The gap
Manager left in March, DPS change filed in June: every alcohol sale in between was unauthorised at the premises level — a review risk if anything else goes wrong. File the change the day you know the leaving date.
The ‘one DPS for two sites’ myth
One person CAN be DPS of multiple premises in England and Wales (unlike Scotland’s premises manager rule) — but councils and police dislike it and it invites challenge if problems arise. Practical rule: one DPS per busy site.
Thinking the DPS must be on shift at all times
They don’t — the DPS is the accountable person, not a permanent fixture behind the bar. Sales in their absence just need authorisation by a personal licence holder. Our DPS explainer covers the role in full, and the DPS award trains them for it.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a DPS variation take?
With immediate effect requested: instantly effective on submission of a complete application. The paperwork follows in days to weeks.
Can the DPS and the premises licence holder be different people/companies?
Yes — normal, in fact. The pubco or property company holds the premises licence; the site manager is DPS.
What if our DPS resigns and we have nobody licensed?
You cannot lawfully sell alcohol without a DPS in place. Fast options: appoint any personal licence holder (area manager, owner) as interim DPS immediately, and fast-track the new manager through the APLH.
Need it handled? Our team files DPS variations same-day, and can run the incoming manager’s personal licence in parallel.
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