Edinburgh councillors warn of ‘serious consequences’ as tens of thousands in licensing fees go unpaid
Councillor Louise Young said it was “depressing” so many businesses were entering the festive period with unpaid fees
Councillors have criticised hundreds of Edinburgh licence holders who have failed to pay annual fees leading into the end of the year.
Reports submitted ahead of the Licensing Board meeting on October 26 showed 305 premises were identified as having unpaid fees for 2026/27, totalling to £151,880.
By the time of the meeting, officers advised the number had fallen to 262 premises – with the total cost of outstanding fees likely being lower – though councillors contended the number remained “depressing”.
Convener Louise Young, a Lib Dem, said: “No fees should ever be late. This is a fundamental part of the process for places that want to sell alcohol.
“The board has taken the view to be strict with this. It’s still depressing that it should be that number in the first place. Hopefully the number will drop down in the next month.”
The board has previously chosen to suspend businesses which failed to pay licence fees on time. Last year over 70 businesses were suspended over the festive period, according to Cllr Young, who added: “There are serious consequences”.
She called the situation “not ideal leading into the festive period” with the licence fee being “a small part of total overheads” for businesses.
Edinburgh’s Licensing Board is responsible for regulating the sale of alcohol to the public and certain gambling activities, by issuing alcohol licences and betting and gambling permits.
Labour councillor Cammy Day asked whether premises trading with overdue licence fees were operating illegally, and if the board could automatically suspend them from operating.
An officer clarified the licence fee is just one of the mandatory conditions attached to holding a licence.
Convener Young added the board cannot create an automatic suspension, saying: “We have to give them each an opportunity to be heard of why they’ve breached the condition.”
Officers have begun contacting licence holders with outstanding fees via phone calls and visits. The board heard there are valid reasons why a licence holder may not have paid the fee, such as not receiving correspondence via post, or having extenuating personal circumstances.
Councillors agreed to premises licence reviews for licence holders with outstanding fees at the upcoming meeting on November 30.