The Institute is delighted to announce the presentation of the first ‘Jeremy Allen Award’ which was awarded and presented to Alan Lynagh from Westminster Council by Poppleston Allen at the National Training Event Gala Dinner last night.

The award is a tribute to the life and professional career of Jeremy Allen,, whose dedication to partnership working and best practice in licensing made him one of the most respected and popular figures in the industry. Jeremy sadly passed away shortly after becoming chair of the Institute of Licensing, and we were pleased and proud to support this award by Poppleston Allen as a tribute to him.

Nominations for the award were sought from Institute members and were shortlisted by Poppleston Allen with the following three finalists:

• Nickii Humphreys, Portsmouth City Council
• Michelle Baird, Stratford District Council
• Alan Lynagh, Westminster City Council

The award, announced by Jonathan Smith, Managing Partner at Popplston Allen, was presented to Alan Lynagh in recognition of his consistency in going ‘the extra mile’ working with applicants to assist in application processes, planning of applications and dealing with issues to resolve problems.

Commenting on the award, Jonathan Smith said:

'Celebration is the key for this award. Recognising those that have made a outstanding contribution as part of their role in licensing is a fitting tribute to Jeremy, who, throughout his career was an inspiration for so many people'.

Jon Collins, Acting Chairman of the IOL said:

'We bid farewell this year to Jeremy Allen, all too soon and deeply sadly. Jeremy was a great friend and one of the leading thinkers on licensing matters. As a founding partner of Poppleston Allen, Jeremy aspired to and delivered excellence in licensing. I am therefore delighted that the Institute has been able to partner with Poppleston Allen to honour Jeremy’s memory with the creation of this Award. '