Pub licence review over illegal immigrant worker

Wolverhampton Council will hold a licence review of The Swan Hotel, in Lower Street, Tettenhall, at a hearing on Tuesday.

An application for the review was made by The Home Office on crime and disorder grounds and it has been backed by West Midlands Police and the local authority’s licensing department.

Members of the licensing committee hearing the case could modify, suspend or ultimately revoke the premises licence.

Immigration enforcement officers swooped on the premises on December 11 last year and found a man working in the kitchen with no UK status. He was then arrested and detained.

In the application, an immigration officer said: “An illegal working interview was conducted with both the employee and employer.

“The employee stated that he had been working at the premises for three months getting paid £200 a week cash in hand. The employer also confirmed that the individual had been working three months.

“Because of this a referral was made to the civil penalty team due to the employer employing persons with no right to work in the UK.

“The civil penalty team have confirmed they will be pursuing a fine of £15,000 as there is no evidence the employer carried out the relevant checks.”

The council’s licensing manager Chris Howell said: “The premises licence holder, Punch Taverns Limited and management of the premises, have not demonstrated they are operating in accordance with their premises licence and therefore are not promoting the licensing objective of crime and disorder.

“The issues raised by the Home Office relate to illegal working at the premises. This shows blatant disregard to the licensing objectives by the premises licence holder and management.”

He added: “Councillors may conclude, from the evidence given within the review application and at the hearing, in order to promote the licensing objective of crime and disorder that modification of the premises licence or suspension of the licence to ensure the current management of the premises fully understands their roles and responsibilities is not a suitable option and that there is no alternative but to revoke the licence.”

Andy Spencer, managing director of Punch Taverns, said: "Whilst Punch do not employ the staff at the Swan Hotel, as premises licence holders we are committed to upholding the licensing objectives and take matters of this nature very seriously. We are committed to working with the relevant authorities to ensure a positive solution is reached which protects the future of the pub."

By Local Democracy Reporter Gurdip Thandi.