Licences to hire out horses are issued under The Animal Welfare (Licencing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The legislation is designed to ensure the welfare of the animals and the suitability of their accommodation.
This application is not subject to tacit approval under the European Union Services Directive. The indicative timescale for dealing with the application is proposed to be within 10 weeks of receipt of a full application.
If you hire out horses or donkeys or provide a riding school service, or provide ridden pony parties, you will require a licence if you are operating such a business.
The council will arrange for the inspection of horses and premises whilst accompanied by a veterinary surgeon. The licence will be issued subject to receipt of a satisfactory report, compliance with licence conditions and payment of the licence fee and vets fees.
A licence will not be issued to individuals who are not over the age of eighteen years or a body corporate who is disqualified.
The Government has published statutory guidance on its website, which sets out all of the licence conditions that must be met before a new licence will be granted.
Before making an application you are advised to consider the following:
Once you are satisfied you can meet the licence conditions, a licence application form, together with the required written procedures must be submitted to the Council. Fees are payable.
If you require assistance with your application, please contact the Council's Animal Licensing Officer for further guidance.
You are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of anyone affected by your business. You will need to undertake a risk assessment, record the significant findings and make sure that hazards are eliminated where possible, residual risks reduced as far as possible, and that systems are in place to make people aware of these and that anyone employed receives adequate instruction and training. If you want advice on Health and Safety, please contact Environmental Health's Health and Safety team.
Subject to the local authority being satisfied that the business will meet at least the minimum standards set by The Animal Welfare (Licencing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, a licence will be granted and a star-rating applied of between 2 and 5 stars. The star-rating achieved will depend on how well the business complies with the licence conditions set out in the Regulations. Licences are granted for a period of either 1, 2 or 3 years, depending on the star-rating achieved. New businesses are automatically regarded higher risk and can only be awarded a 2-star or 4-star licence. Existing businesses if considered to be a lower risk, can achieve a 3-star or 5-star rating depending on whether they achieve the higher standards or not. A 1-star licence is only awarded to an existing business with minor failings.
If you require any further information please contact the Food, Health and Safety Team.
E-mail: fhsadmin@tendringdc.gov.uk
Address:
Environmental Health
Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex CO15 1SE
Telephone: 01255 686767
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