Aberdeenshire Licensing Board - Consultation on Liquor Licensing Fees

What you told us

We received 46 responses in respect of the consultation, the majority of which were received from the licensed trade (87.0%). The bulk of these felt that the proposed increases were too high and could negatively impact on the trade given the increased costs that they were already facing.

Respondents also felt that although the Board has a statutory duty to ensure the fees it charges covers their costs, they should look at cutting their own costs rather than passing higher fees onto applicants or as an alternative they should look at absorbing some of the costs involved to help support the trade.

The responses received can be found within Appendix 2 to the report which was considered by the Aberdeenshire Licensing Board at their meeting on the 17th of December 2025.

What we're doing

Officers considered the responses received as part of the consultation and provided answers to these within the report considered by the Board on the 17th of December 2025. The officers confirmed that some applications like applying to change an existing licence are optional for businesses. They also explained the work the Licensing Board carries out, why this work has increased costs, and how the Board is continuously trying to reduce expenses, for example by using online applications and holding meetings online.

The Board considered all the comments made on the 17th of December 2025, alongside their statutory duties to ensure that the fees charged covered their costs, deciding that the proposed fees should be adopted from the 1st of April 2026, with inflationary rises applied annually thereafter.

You can view the original consultation here: Aberdeenshire Licensing Board - Consultation on Liquor Licensing Fees | Engage Aberdeenshire