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Harassment duty in Herefordshire

From 30 October 2026, employers can be liable for harassment of their staff by customers and other third parties unless they took all reasonable steps to prevent it.

What the 30 October change means

The duty is about steps you can show you have taken: a clear notice, a short staff briefing and a simple record of what happens. If a tribunal upholds a sexual harassment claim and finds the duty was breached, it can increase compensation by up to 25%. The Equality and Human Rights Commission can take enforcement action under this duty.

Law as at 15 October 2026. For employers in England and Wales only. Not legal advice.

Local picture in Herefordshire

Herefordshire Council is the licensing authority for premises licences across the county. The licensing team handles applications, variations and advice for pubs, cafes, restaurants, hotels and other licensed venues.

For day-to-day licensing questions, use the council contact centre number below. Calls are allocated to an officer. Correspondence goes to Plough Lane; there is no public licensing reception for walk-in photocopying.

West Mercia Police sits as a responsible authority on premises licence applications. The force licensing mailbox is listed on the council responsible authorities page.

Hereford city has an active Business Improvement District. County-wide National Pubwatch or council-listed Pubwatch schemes were not found on current public pages checked on 15 October 2026, so none is named here.

Council licensing team

• Licensing authority: Herefordshire Council
• Phone: 01432 261761
• Email: Email address is on the council licensing page (link below).
• Address: Licensing Department, Plough Lane, Hereford HR4 0LE
• Team page: Open licensing page
• Policy: Licensing policy 2020-2025 for Licensing Act 2003

Police licensing unit

West Mercia Police Licensing Department (West Mercia Police). Malvern Police Station, 7 Victoria Road, Malvern WR14 2TE. Tel 101 (ask for Licensing, Malvern). Licensing email is on the responsible authorities page.

Non-emergency: 101. Source: responsible authority / police licensing listing (checked 2026-10-16).

Hereford BID

Hereford BID Ltd covers the city BID area. Town Hall, St Owen Street, Hereford HR1 2PJ. Tel 01432 376830. Contact details are on the BID site.

Source: open source page (checked 2026-10-16).

Business support

Herefordshire Growth Hub (Marches Growth Hub).

Sources checked 2026-10-16

• licensing_team: https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/directories/licences-and-permissions/premises-licence/ (checked 2026-10-16)
• police_licensing: https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/business/current-premises-licence-applications/responsible-authorities/ (checked 2026-10-16)
• business_support: https://marchesgrowthhub.co.uk/about-us/herefordshire/ (checked 2026-10-16)
• hereford_bid: https://www.herefordcitylife.co.uk/hereford-bid/about/the-bid-area (checked 2026-10-16)

Questions

Who handles premises licences in Herefordshire?

Herefordshire Council. Phone: 01432 261761. Address: Licensing Department, Plough Lane, Hereford HR4 0LE.

Who is the police licensing contact?

West Mercia Police Licensing Department. Malvern Police Station, 7 Victoria Road, Malvern WR14 2TE. Tel 101 (ask for Licensing, Malvern). Non-emergency: 101.

Is there a Pubwatch or BID listing on this page?

Hereford BID Ltd covers the city BID area. Town Hall, St Owen Street, Hereford HR1 2PJ. Tel 01432 376830. Contact details are on the BID site.

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