Post published on December 19, 2023.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has published updated (14 Dec 2023) guidance that aims to help councils to understand the full breadth of issues that should be considered when setting local licence fees in order to meet legal obligations and provide the necessary reassurances to local businesses.

It does not contain a fees calculator because this assumes a uniformity of service design and associated costs, when it is vital that councils are free to design services that best serve the needs of their community and recover costs accordingly. Whilst this guidance is focused primarily on licensing fees, the principles of good fee setting apply equally to other fees set by council regulatory services (and beyond) so officers working in those fields may also find this guidance useful.