Nigel Connor, Solicitor and Head of Licensing and Regulatory Law at Wetherspoon said:
"We view the Institute of Licensing as the pre-eminent organisation where all those involved in the licensing process can share ideas and best practice. We all have a vested interest in making the system operate consistently and efficiently and that can only achieved by stakeholders working in partnership. As a forum for dialogue, The Institute of Licensing allows those partnerships to be forged. We are delighted to be members of the Institute and hope that other operators within the licensed sector will join us"

Institute Chair, Philip Kolvin QC said:
"The Institute of Licensing is, in its constitution and outlook, a broad church where all working in the profession can network, learn, share ideas and develop best practice. I am therefore delighted that Wetherspoon has decided to join us and hope that increasingly the Institute will become a forum of all stakeholders in the leisure economy."

About the Institute
In 2003 the Institute of Licensing joined forces with the Society of Licensing Practitioners, a body with similar aims to its own.

The Institute exists to advance the development and recognition of professional skill, technical competency, ethical conduct and practical achievement in the field of licensing in both the public and private arena.

Its annual conference and training event takes place in November each year with a host of training being provided around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

At the core of the organisation lies it's regions which deliver regular lively meetings and training events at a local level. Assistance is also offered through it's publications such as Gambling for Local Authorities: Licensing, Planning and Regeneration and its Technical Standards for Places of Entertainment.

For further information on the work of the Institute and it's regions as well as joining instructions, please visit the website