Regulatory licences and permits in England and Wales are distributed across dozens of issuing authorities. No single register holds the complete picture. The question of who controls a licensed entity — and whether that control is disclosed — depends entirely on which authority issued the licence and what that authority is required to record.
Control, in this context, means more than ownership. It means the capacity to direct the licensed activity, to appoint the responsible individual, and to transfer or surrender the authorisation. Each of those dimensions is recorded differently, or not at all, depending on the licence type.
What the sources showLicence status, licence holder name, issuing authority, and in some cases the designated premises supervisor or responsible person. Source: relevant issuing authority registers · verified 2026-09-01. Access conditionMost public-facing licence registers are accessible without registration. Depth of data varies by authority and licence type. What the sources do not showBeneficial ownership of the licence holder, shareholder identity, or the identity of the person directing the licensed activity from behind the corporate structure. Coverage levelLevel B — the register confirms existence and status; it does not resolve the full control chain.England and Wales operates a fragmented licensing architecture. There is no unified national licence register. Authorisations are issued by local authorities, national regulators, and sector-specific bodies. Each maintains its own record.
The principal categories and their primary registers are:
Each register answers a different question. None answers the question of who ultimately controls the entity holding the authorisation.
The Licensing Act 2003 register records the licence holder — which may be a company — and the designated premises supervisor (DPS), who must hold a personal licence. The DPS is a named individual. That individual is not necessarily a director, shareholder, or beneficial owner of the company.
The Gambling Commission register records the legal entity holding the operating licence. It does not record shareholders or beneficial owners. A change of control above a defined threshold triggers a notification requirement, but the notification itself is not published in the public register.
The FCA Financial Services Register records the authorised firm and its approved persons. Approved persons are individuals who have passed a fitness and propriety assessment for a specific controlled function. The register does not record the firm's ownership structure. A change of controller requires FCA approval under Part XII of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, but the approved controller's identity is not systematically published in the public-facing register.
The Environment Agency register records the permit holder. For corporate holders, it records the registered company name. It does not record directors or shareholders.
The CQC register records the registered provider. For corporate providers, it records the legal entity. The CQC requires notification of certain changes in ownership, but the register itself does not display ownership history or current shareholders.
| Register | Licence holder | Named individual | Ownership disclosed | Change of control recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local authority (Licensing Act 2003) | Yes | DPS only | No | No |
| Gambling Commission | Yes | No | No | Notification required, not published |
| FCA Financial Services Register | Yes | Approved persons | No | Approval required, not published |
| Environment Agency | Yes | No | No | No |
| Food Standards Agency | Yes | No | No | No |
| Care Quality Commission | Yes | No | No | Notification required, not published |
A company holds a licence. The company is owned by a holding company. The holding company is owned by a trust. The trust has a corporate trustee. The corporate trustee is registered in a jurisdiction that does not disclose beneficial ownership.
At each step, the licence register records only the immediate holder. It does not follow the chain. It does not flag that the chain exists.
This is not a gap in the register. It is the design of the register. Licence registers record regulatory compliance at the point of authorisation. They are not ownership registers.
The Companies House register records directors and persons with significant control (PSC) for UK-incorporated entities. The PSC register is a separate instrument. It is not integrated with any licence register. Establishing the connection between a licence holder and its PSC record requires a separate query.
Where the licence holder is a foreign-incorporated entity — permitted in some licence categories — there is no PSC record at all. The licence register records the foreign entity's name. The ownership of that entity is governed by the law of its place of incorporation.
The public licence registers in England and Wales establish one fact reliably: whether a named entity holds a current authorisation for a specified activity at a specified location or in a specified category.
They do not establish:
The FCA and Gambling Commission impose change-of-control requirements. Those requirements generate internal regulatory records. Those records are not public. A third party cannot confirm from the public register alone that a required notification was made.
The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment. What the sources do not show is identified at the outset, not discovered after the work is done.
Discrepancies arise between the licence register and the Companies House record in two recurring patterns.
First, the DPS named on a premises licence may no longer be employed by the company. The licence register is updated only when the licence holder applies to vary the DPS. There is no automatic synchronisation with employment records or Companies House filings.
Second, the approved person recorded on the FCA register may hold a controlled function for a firm that has changed ownership since the approval was granted. The approved person's record reflects the function, not the current ownership structure of the firm.
Where the licence register and the Companies House record name different individuals in apparently equivalent roles, that discrepancy is itself a finding. It does not resolve automatically. It requires a separate inquiry to each authority.
Establishing who controls a licensed entity in England and Wales requires at minimum three parallel queries:
The third query is not always available to a third party. Some authorities respond to written requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Others treat change-of-control notifications as confidential regulatory correspondence. The outcome of an FOI request cannot be guaranteed.
Where the licence holder is a non-UK entity, the Companies House query is replaced by a query to the relevant foreign registry. The availability of that registry, and what it discloses, depends on the jurisdiction of incorporation.
Does a UK premises licence show who owns the business? No. The premises licence records the licence holder — which may be a company — and the designated premises supervisor. It does not record shareholders, directors, or beneficial owners. Ownership information is held separately at Companies House.
Can a foreign company hold a licence in England and Wales? In several licence categories, yes. The licence register records the foreign entity's name. There is no requirement for the foreign entity to be registered at Companies House. Ownership of the foreign entity is governed by the law of its place of incorporation and is not visible in any UK public register.
What triggers a change-of-control requirement for FCA-authorised firms? A change of controller — broadly, a person acquiring or increasing a qualifying holding in an authorised firm — requires prior FCA approval under Part XII of FSMA 2000. The threshold and procedure are set by the FCA's supervisory rules. The approval decision is not published in the public Financial Services Register.
Does the Gambling Commission publish change-of-control notifications? No. The Gambling Commission requires notification of changes above defined thresholds. The notification is a regulatory filing. The public register records the current licence holder and status. It does not record the history of ownership changes or the content of notifications filed.
What does a Level B coverage rating mean for this register? Level B means the register confirms existence and current status of the authorisation. It does not resolve the full control chain. The licence holder is identified. The ownership of the licence holder, and the identity of the person directing the licensed activity, require separate queries to separate sources.
Is there a single register covering all licences in England and Wales? No. Licences are issued by local authorities, national regulators, and sector-specific bodies. Each maintains its own register. There is no unified national licence register. A complete picture of a company's licensed activities requires queries to each relevant authority.
Sources:
Disclaimer: This report is a factual compilation from official registers and public sources. It is provided for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and contains no legal qualification of the facts established. VLO Law Firm assumes no liability for actions taken or not taken based on this material. For advice regarding your particular situation, please contact info@vlolawfirm.com.
Author: James Whitfield — Partner, UK & Common Law, VLO Law Firm