New for 2025, LLG's Licensing Conference will provide a full day’s practical, online training on the latest developments, case law, and guidance in some of the key areas relevant to lawyers and officers working in local authority licensing departments.
The Conference will include sessions on noise nuisance and licensed premises, licensing policies, pavement licensing, the Walk Safe case and its consequences, and the use and abuse of TENs, alongside an update on key topical issues relating to taxi licensing. We are delighted to confirm that speakers include Ben Williams from Kings Chambers; James Button, President of the Institute of Licensing; Chris Rees-Gay from Woods Whur; Matt Lewin from Cornerstone Barristers; and Stephen Turner from Kingston upon Hull City Council.
All sessions will provide attendees with the opportunity to ask questions and share their thoughts and experiences. Whilst the event will be held across one day, all sessions will be recorded and made available to download, providing the opportunity either to engage for the whole day or to attend selected sessions on the day and then catch up in your own time.
Provisional programme is now available to download from the Programme tab.
Stephen D. Turner, MStJ., MIoL, LLB
Stephen Turner is a solicitor with Kingston upon Hull City Council and specialises in regulatory prosecutions and licensing. He qualified in 1986 and was in private practice before moving into local government in 1994. Stephen has been solely responsible for advice to the Council and its Officers on all aspects of licensing law and procedure since 2004. He advises the Committee and Officers in connection with all applications, reviews, prosecutions, and appeals concerning licensing matters from taxis and private hire to sex shops, zoos and scrap metal dealers and is Legal Advisor to the Committee when in session. Stephen also deals with advocacy arising from decisions of the Committee by way of appeals or from the prosecution of offenders under all relevant legislation. Stephen is an experienced prosecutor for the regulatory departments of the Council dealing with all types of high-end cases from counterfeiting to food safety and fraud.
Stephen has presented lectures, workshops, and seminars to a variety of audiences including magistrates, solicitors, members of the Institute of Licensing, Council Members and Officers and others within his areas of interest and expertise.
Steve is a Past National Chair of Solicitors in Local Government (SLG now Lawyers in Local Government (LLG)), a former Chair and Branch Secretary of the Yorkshire and the Humber Branch of SLG/LLG and is currently the Litigation and Licensing Deputy National Lead (Licensing) for LLG. Steve is also a former Vice Chairman of the Northeast Region of the Institute of Licensing (IoL) and is an Independent Trainer, Lecturer, Mentor and Consultant. Steve chaired the IoL’s Working Party which produced and published (in 2018 (Reviewed 2024)) the Guidance on the relevance of previous convictions in Hackney and Private Hire Licencing.
Matt Lewin is a top-ranked public law barrister, recognised as a “leading junior”, whose clients range from government departments to parish councils.
His work includes advocacy in court and at public inquiries, investigations, reviews, training, public speaking and advisory work on a diverse range of public law issues, for clients across England and Wales. He is a member of the Attorney General’s B Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown and the Equality and the Human Rights Commission’s C panels of counsel.
Matt has been ranked as a “leading junior” in administrative law and licensing law in Legal 500 2025. The Court of Appeal has described his submissions as “excellent … [made] with skill and moderation”.
Matt was a nominee for the Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year 2019 award.
In 2024, Matt published Cornerstone on Councillors’ Conduct and Standards in Public Life (Bloomsbury Professional), a practical guide for anyone involved in the field of standards in public life in the United Kingdom, from parish councils to Parliament.
Rob is a senior solicitor working for a local authority in South-East England dealing with all areas of litigation and licensing. Rob is passionate about improving networking and training opportunities for litigation and licensing lawyers and promoting the high quality and often complex work conducted by legal advisers in this areas of law.
In addition to this, Rob is the Litigation National Lead for LLG.
Ben D Williams is a member of the Employment team and is the equal opportunities officer for Kings Chambers.
His practice has a strong emphasis on Regulatory Law and procedure with a particular expertise in Health and Safety and Environmental Law. Increasingly Ben is asked to advise at an early stage of investigation as well as delivering specialist advice on best practice within varied regulatory fields. Recommended in the Legal 500 United Kingdom 2014 & 2015 editorial Northern Circuit – regulatory, health and safety, and licensing
Ben has experience in regulatory compliance in the context of consumer protection and associated areas. For example, he has advised on the waste packaging regulations and food labelling regulations (as well as associated prosecutions). Ben has considerable experience in defending businesses for alleged breaches of consumer protection legislation and health and safety matters.
He regularly prosecutes and defends Health and Safety and Trading Standards matters throughout the country, and is experienced in abatement notices including statutory appeals against such notices.
Ben is regularly instructed to draft papers in statutory challenges and Judicial Review proceedings in the High Court.
Ben has a keen interest in Coroner’s Court Inquests and Licensing matters including Taxi licensing and public entertainment licensing. He advises a large number of Local Authorities in respect of policy implementation and enforcement.
Ben has also represented a number of professionals before their regulating bodies in the context of disciplinary proceedings. These have included; police officers, medical practitioners, accountants and a number of different sportsmen.
Ben has extensive experience in respect of regulatory law. He regularly appears in health and safety prosecutions brought by local authorities, the health and safety executive and the police.
Ben is experienced in appearing before a jury and before a Coroner alone. Ben is frequently asked to assist in Inquests that run alongside Environmental and Health & Safety investigations by prosecuting authorities.
He is experienced in all areas of Disciplinary Proceedings and has recently acted on behalf of police officers, professional sportsmen and medical professionals.
James is a solicitor and Principal of James Button & Co., Solicitors.
His current expertise lies in the areas of licensing (including Taxis, Licensing Act 2003, Gambling Act 2005 etc), environmental health, public health (including the Public Health (Control of Disease Act 1984 and all pandemic regulations), human rights and other local authority and health sector related matters.
Having read Law at Trent Polytechnic in Nottingham, and studied for his Law Society Finals at The Polytechnic of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he was articled at South Tyneside MBC in South Shields. On qualifying as a solicitor, he spent several years at Manchester City Council before setting up the Public Health Legal Information Unit for the Department of Health.
In 1996 he formed James Button & Co, Solicitors as a niche practice. In that year he was also was one of the Founder Members of the Local Government Licensing Forum, and chaired it from its creation until 2003, when it became the Institute of Licensing. Having overseen that transition, he stood down in 2004 when he became President. In 2012 the Institute recognised his contribution to licensing by making him a Companion of the Institute of Licensing.
He is a skilled advocate, appearing in the magistrates’ courts, as well as licensing hearings. He is also a very popular trainer, providing in-house and webinar training to local authority officers and members, as well as health service professionals. He regularly speaks at conferences and seminars.
As an author he has written 4 editions of “Button on Taxis: Licensing Law and Practice”, contributed to numerous other works, and provides regular articles in the “Journal of Licensing”, as well as occasional contributions to other publications.
Publications - Author
“Button on Taxis: Licensing Law and Practice” (4th Ed Bloomsbury Professional 2017). Previous editions 2009, 2004, 1999.
"Communicable Disease Control - A Practical Guide to the Law for Health and Local Authorities in England and Wales" (Department of Health 1994)
Contributor
“Know Your Rights” (Readers Digest 1997)
“Communicable Disease Epidemiology & Control” edited by Norman Noah and Mary O’Mahony (Wiley 1997)
“Health Services Law and Practice” edited by Maggie Bloom, Dr Andrew Harris and Sheila Waddington (Butterworths 2001)
“The Concise Guide to Licensing” by Ian Webster, Jeffrey Leib and James Button (LGS-UK 2007).
Regular columns on Taxi matters for the “Journal of Licensing” and formerly a Consulting Editor for “Licensing Review”.
Chris was part of the original team when Woods Whur was founded, before leaving for a brief stint with the licensing team at Pinsent Masons. He has now returned to Woods Whur to focus solely on licensing law, which he has specialised in since 2010.
Chris deals with all aspects of licensing, both contentious and non-contentious. He has experience of submitting all forms of licensing applications, appearing at licensing sub-committees and appeal hearings in Magistrates’ Courts. In Chambers it states “he is very engaged and always available, he has been brilliant”. In the Legal 500 it states “Chris Rees-Gay has delivered for us every time we have needed him. Honest, thorough and held in high regard by everyone who knows of him. The absolute professional”.
Gambling:
Chris’ focus in recent years has been acting for gambling operators (both remote and non-remote) in relation to high profile Gambling Commission Operating Licence Reviews. In most cases managing to secure a ‘regulatory settlement’ for the operator, ensuring that they were able to continue trading.
He has also assisted William Hill Online on a significant world-wide jurisdiction project, as part of their application for a Nevada Gaming Licence. In addition, he has advised a US Operator in relation to a European wide multi-jurisdiction project, determining whether the product offered would be deemed a lottery.
On returning to Woods Whur he is now focusing on AGC premises licence applications.
Alcohol:
Chris has acted in relation to all types of Licensing Act 2003 premises licences, including: festivals, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and take-away premises, all over England and Wales. He has undertaken contested hearings for one of the largest supermarket retailers in the country, against police, environmental health and residential opposition and has a proven track record.
As well as acting for large national companies, he also represents a number of independent operators based in Leeds. Securing the first premises licence to be granted in the Leeds Cumulative Impact ‘Red’ Zone.
Chris specialises in Festivals and large events. Examples include Mint Festival and World Island, as well as securing the premises licence for the World Cycling Championships Fan Zone in 2019. His success in this area relates to his ability to work closely with the relevant SAG (Safety Advisory Group) team members. This is recognised by the quote in the Legal 500 that states he has “considerable expertise in relation to festival and large event licensing”.
Chris has extensive experience in due diligence support in relation to the buying and selling of Premiership Football clubs relating to alcohol premises licences, track premises licences and all other associated stadium licences.
Civic Licensing:
Chris is also experienced in dealing with associated licences, including approvals for marriage/civil partnership premises certificates, street café licences and TheMusicLicence (formerly PPL/PRS for Music). Additionally, he has advised in relation to Sexual Entertainment Venue Licensing with applications in London, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Harrogate.
Related training
09:15 - 16:00
Online
