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From the 6^th April the Gangmasters Licensing Authority will be working to a revised set of licensing standards, which seek to improve the Authority’s ability to hold licence holders to account. The new standards are the first revision of the GLA’s standards since its inception in 2004 and come following a period of review last year.  

The key changes to the licensing standards are:

• The definition of being “Fit and Proper” has been strengthened and includes information on what areas of a licence holder’s work and life may be investigated. Breach of this section of the standards may result in a licence being revoked with immediate effect.
• Complying with PAYE, National Insurance and VAT requirements is now classed as “Critical”.
• Licence holders must ensure they comply with any Additional Licensing Conditions (ALCs) attached to their licence by the specified deadline. ALCs must be corrected within the time period prescribed by the GLA. This new Standard is “Critical” – if licence holders fail to comply with the ALCs attached to their licence they risk having the licence revoked.
• “New business” licence holders must notify the GLA within 20 working days of trading in the regulated sectors.
• Charging job-finding fees or making work-finding services conditional on workers using other services is now classed as “Critical”. It is illegal for businesses to attempt to encourage those seeking work to give money or presents (for example alcohol) for finding work.
• The “Critical” standards are now clearer on whether a breach would lead to a licence being revoked with or without immediate effect.

Impactt welcomes the strengthening of the standards. A recent report has illustrated the widespread support of the GLA, including from Gangmasters themselves.