Lara Haworth, who runs SweetTreatz Jersey, which sells homemade cakes and gift bags of sweets, recently applied for an alcohol licence for her house so she could include little bottles of wine in the packs which she makes at home.
But she was told that all licensed premises need to be closed by 2 am – and so granting the application would effectively force her out of her property in the early hours.
The Licensing Assembly had to license a small cupboard under her stairs to get round the problem. The Bailiff, Sir William Bailhache, who was presiding, twice referred to the absurdity of the law before suggesting that a small area, such as a cupboard, could provide a legal loophole.
While Ms Haworth is pleased that her application was approved, she believes that the existing laws are not working for the growing number of home-run online businesses.
‘Things have changed so much, and they are continually changing at such a fast pace. Laws such as this one need to keep up, to make sure that they work and are fit for purpose.
‘Maybe for situations such as mine, there should be an option to grant the licence to an individual rather than a premises, or a cupboard,’ said Ms Haworth, who runs her business through a Facebook page.
‘When the suggestion of the cupboard was made, although it brought a few laughs to the room I was pleased that there was at least an option available and I wasn’t being told “no”.
‘I bought my cupboard initially to store all my SweetTreatz bits and pieces – and to keep all the sweets away from my daughters. It’s turned out to be a pretty useful investment,’ she added.
Assistant Economic Development Minister Steve Pallett, who has responsibility for licensing, admitted that the laws needed reviewing on a regular basis and has lodged proposals to set a new licensing framework.
‘The law goes back to 1974,’ he said. ‘Clearly there are elements of it that are out of date.
‘I think we can simplify it by putting conditions on licences rather than have separate categories for different types of licence for every type of business,’ he said.
The proposition is due to be debated in the States on 30 January.
