Weekly Alcohol Licensing Bulletin covering 8th Feb–Fri 14 Feb 2026.

Welcome to this week’s WALB! Here we’ve focused on developments that matter for operators across England & Wales.

Home Office drops a fresh Section 182 Guidance update (12 Feb)

The Home Office has published a revised S.182 Guidance (February 2026) and updated its GOV.UK landing page. Key changes listed in the update log include:

New Paragraph 1.19 telling licensing committees that, when deciding individual applications, they should have regard to relevant local plans/strategies (e.g., town planning, night‑time economy strategies), provided this remains consistent with the licensing objectives and the Authority’s Statement of Licensing Policy.

There are also tweaks noted to TENs limits, para 8.65 (case-by-case for other licensable activities/conditions), and spiking information, plus references to the off‑sales easement extension.

Why this matters to you:

When you fight a contested application/variation, it’s now even more legitimate to anchor submissions in the local plan/NTE strategy/Mayor’s plan (e.g. theLondon Plan) — as long as you tie it back to the four objectives and the SoLP.

Alcohol Duty: uprating landed on 1 Feb; trade press tracks pass‑through effects

HMRC’s policy paper confirms all alcohol duty rates were uprated by RPI (3.66%) from 1 Feb 2026, with Small Producer Relief cash discounts increased to keep their relative value; simplified import personal‑use rates also rose.

Mainstream/business coverage reiterates expected consumer‑facing price effects: ~38p duty rise for a typical 37.5% ABV gin (to £8.98), 39p for a 40% ABV whisky (to £9.51) and ~14p for 14.5% wine; BBPA suggests a ~2p duty component on a pub pint.

Why this matters for clients: Menu engineering and supplier conversations should reflect the uprating now in force; draught relief differentials still help on‑trade mix. You should consider revisiting your targets and updating your price‑change rationale for staff to use when explaining any prices rises with customers.

Wales: Minimum Unit Pricing continued and set to increase to 65p (1 Oct 2026)

The Senedd has voted to continue Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) beyond March 2026 and to raise the MUP from 50p to 65p per unit of alcohol. Welsh Government’s announcement frames the change as restoring policy effectiveness; modelling suggests substantial harm reductions over 20 years. The price change takes effect on 011026.

The legislation to continue the 2018 Act is now made (W.S.I. 2026/30, in force 9 Feb 2026).

NB England–Wales border note: For cross‑border retailers near Offa’s Dyke, please plan now for dual pricing/stock and staff scripts addressing customer queries pre‑October. Your age‑verification and refusals processes remain the same; the change is price‑setting and enforcement by local authorities.

Night‑time economy & sector signals raised this week

The Institute of Licensing (IoL) news stream this week included a Martyn’s Law implementation update (relevant to larger venues/events and security planning). So please keep your venue risk assessments and staff training plans current.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) also picked up the Bronze Armed Forces Covenant Award — not directly licensing, but handy for any of your community engagement narratives and associated publicity.

Ongoing press coverage continues to warn of cost pressures (duty uplifts, wages, rates) and potential pub closures in 2026. It’s a worrying time for the sector, for sure.

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