Even the smallest guarding company with a handful of workers faces a four-figure bill for Security Industry Authority (SIA) business licensing, according to a SIA document on estimated costs.
An earlier SIA document, ‘Get Business Licensed, showed that guarding and door firms and other security businesses that fall under the SIA regulation will have to pay an application fee, and an annual subscription.
http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Documents/business-licensing/sia-get-business-licensed.pdf
That document did not say what the costs would be; now the regulator has offered some cost ranges.
Visit http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Documents/business-licensing/sia-business-cost-ranges.pdf
A micro business (defined as ten licensable people or fewer) or a small business (11 to 25 people) will pay £300 to £500 for an application; and then each year £500 to £1000 for the subscription. Those firms will not have to pay a ‘variable subscription cost’ based on the head count.
A medium-sized company (with 26 to 250 people to be badged) will pay £650 to £1000 for an application and £500 to £1000 for the sub each year; and £17 to £25 per head – that ‘variable subscription cost’. It’s the same for a large firm, except its application cost will be £1000 to £1400.
A firm defined as medium-sized, with 100 workers to be licensed, would have to pay after the first year of application, between £2200 and £3500 each year.
As for those firms in the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) the SIA says that the fee arrangements for ACS under the new regime are not yet finalised. The authority adds that its current assumption is that ACS fees will continue to include an application fee, likely to be below the current levels, and an annual fee based on head count.
The regulator makes the point that the fees for business licensing will be directly related to the SIA costs for delivering regulation. The fees will be decided through a process involving the Home Office and HM Treasury; it is not a matter for the SIA.
To recap, as Home Secretary Theresa May set out earlier this year, subject to ministerial approval, all SIA-regulated security businesses will need to hold an SIA business licence from April 6, 2015.
Dates
April 2014: the SIA will start to accept business licence applications.
October 2014: the last recommended business licence application date. The regulator says that it cannot guarantee that it will complete the processing of any business licence applications received after 1 October 2014 in time for April 6, 2015.
April 2015: it will become a legal requirement to have a business licence.
Visit http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/pages/business-licensing.aspx
