Laws & Regulations for a members club
Members’ social clubs operate within a broad legal and regulatory framework. While day-to-day operations are often run by volunteers, clubs are subject to many of the same statutory obligations as commercial organisations.
This overview is not intended to be exhaustive, but it summarises the principal licences, registrations and legal requirements most commonly encountered by club secretaries and committees.
Most members’ clubs will hold a number of annual licences or registrations. Fees vary widely, ranging from modest local authority charges to more substantial national licence fees.
Common examples include:
Beyond specific licences, club officers must ensure compliance with a range of statutory obligations, including:
Public performance of recorded music requires appropriate licensing. Simply owning CDs, records or digital music does not give the right to play music in public.
Music licensing in the UK is now administered by PPL PRS Ltd, a joint venture between:
Licences are required whether music is played live, via recorded media, television, radio or digital streaming, and regardless of whether an admission charge is made. Licence costs vary depending on club size, usage and frequency.
An MPLC licence allows clubs to show copyrighted films and TV programmes (for example, DVDs) in public areas.
Most clubs do not require an MPLC licence to show live television channels such as news, sports or music channels broadcast via satellite or cable. However, showing pre-recorded films or box sets generally does require an MPLC licence.
Club Gaming Permits are available to members’ clubs and are now usually issued in conjunction with the Club Premises Certificate. A Club Gaming Permit allows clubs to offer:
Current provisions include:
Further guidance is available from the Gambling Commission.
Clubs, charities and other non-commercial organisations wishing to run lotteries to raise funds must register as a Small Society Lottery with the local authority where the society’s principal office is located.
Key points include:
Where these limits are exceeded, the club must register with the Gambling Commission instead.
Clubs that process personal data must comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This applies regardless of whether the club is formally registered with the ICO.
In practice:
Basic membership records (names, addresses and contact details) may be held for the club’s own purposes without registration, provided data is not shared externally and is properly safeguarded.
Within a club, the Secretary or an appointed officer will usually act as the data controller and is responsible for ensuring compliance, data accuracy and security.
Compliance with laws and regulations is an ongoing responsibility for all members’ clubs. While the list above is not exhaustive, it highlights the areas most commonly encountered in practice.