I'm not sure Blowzebella is right at this point anyway - "if you are looking to set something up, you might well find that the officer will be as helpful as he can be to facilitate what you want to do. Let's face it - the option is to have them 'find out' about it at a later date, when they feel obliged to 'do something'. If you 'engage' them from the beginning and 'seek their advice and assistance' from the outset, you might be surprised."

There might be circumstances where this would the case. However frequently "don't ask , don't tell" is more the way it goes. If formally approached in advance, the advice from a council officer (howevever sympathetic) will have to be strictly according to the law, as interpreted by that local council - but in practice, if it's not brought to their attention. they might well be happy to turn a blnd eye. Of course it may be brought to their attention - we lost a pleasant session in Waltham Abbey when a rival publican blew the whistle. But by then we'd had a few good evenings.