Appeals
All appeals must be sent, in writing (including by email), to the Public Protection and Anti-social Behaviour Team.
Appeal against a decision to refuse, revoke, or vary a licence
Any operator who is aggrieved by a decision by us to refuse to grant or renew a licence, or to vary or revoke a licence, may appeal within 28 days of the day after the date of the decision to a first-tier tribunal.
Appeal against the risk or star rating awarded
A licensed operator of an animal establishment may appeal the licence rating given following inspection if they do not agree that the rating reflects the risk rating or compliance rating (both of which affect the star rating and length of licence) found at the time of the inspection.
An operator disputing a rating should, in the first instance, discuss this informally with the officer who inspected the business. This gives an opportunity to help explain to the business how the rating was worked out, as this may help resolve the matter without the business having to appeal. Any such discussions do not form part of the formal appeal process and do not change the deadline within which an appeal must be lodged. This should be made clear to the business so that they may appeal and may subsequently withdraw it, if they wish.
Appeals must be lodged within 21 days (including weekends and bank holidays) from the date of issue of the licence. Appeals must be in writing (including by email) and provide evidence of compliance.
If an operator disagrees with the outcome of an appeal, they can challenge our decision by means of a judicial review.
If an operator considers that this service has not been properly delivered, they can follow the Council’s complaints procedure (including taking the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman where appropriate).
Requests for re-inspection for re-rating purposes
The re-inspection mechanism applies in cases where businesses with star ratings of 1 to 4 have accepted their rating and have subsequently made the necessary improvements to address non-compliances identified during the local authority’s previous inspection.
A rescore can only be undertaken following a re-inspection and cannot be undertaken on documentary evidence alone. There is a fee for a rescore visit, and businesses are advised that re-inspection for re-rating purposes may result in a lower rating or no change rather than an increase in rating.