Restaurant allowed to keep licence despite Home Office concerns over illegal workers

The owners of Illyrian Grill House in Bowes paid a £40,000 civil penalty last year in relation to an illegal worker but “has since changed it processes”, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

Illyrian Grill House in Green Lanes, Bowes (credit Google)

The Home Office has failed in an attempt to revoke the licence of a restaurant in Bowes it alleges was employing illegal workers.

Councillors on Enfield Council’s licensing sub-committee yesterday (Wednesday 12th) declined a request by the government department to revoke the premises licence of Illyrian Grill House, in Green Lanes, following a visit by immigration enforcement officers over a year ago.

This was despite the council’s own licensing team supporting the Home Office’s position and arguing that further issues were found when its staff visited the premises last month.

But the legal validity of the council’s visit was questioned by the licence holder’s solicitor during yesterday’s debate at Enfield Civic Centre.

Concerns had first been raised on 18th May 2025, when Home Office enforcement staff visited the restaurant “following intelligence that illegal workers were being employed”.

During this visit, the government department alleged they found one person “working in breach of skilled worker visa conditions” and three other people who “had no entitlement to work in the United Kingdom”.

A civil penalty of £40,000 was issued on 18th November last year and has since been paid by the licence holder and its designated premises supervisor, Idajet Bokciu.

Speaking yesterday, solicitor David Dadds, Bokciu’s legal counsel, underlined that this was a civil penalty, that it was in regards to one worker only, and that no criminal conviction or further allegation has been made in relation to illegal working at the restaurant since the incident in May 2025.

Home Office licensing compliance officer Alexandra Romano also admitted that the government was not aware of any further breaches having been committed since its visit over a year ago.

Despite this, the Home Office submitted a request for the council to review Illyrian Grill House’s premises licence on 23rd June this year.

Committee chair Penny Heathwood noted the “significant lapse of time” since the alleged incident when explaining the committee’s decision to decline the revocation request – and to also make no changes to the existing licence for the premises.

Cllr Heathwood explained that immigration officials had not received any “intelligence regarding illegal working” since the incident in May 2025. She added that the licence holder “has since changed its processes” regarding staff employment and had improved its practices generally.

Summarising the committee’s reasoning, Cllr Heathwood said: “There have been changes and we will give the licence holder the opportunity to comply with the licence it holds and the licensing conditions.”

She added: “The licensing sub-committee, on balance, believes the licensing objectives are being promoted at this point in time, [something] which we have made significant reliance upon during our decision making.”

Speaking after the meeting, Dadds said: “There have been no issues for the past one-and-a-half years and that will continue.”

He said the business was “thankful for the committee members” taking the time to understand the evidence presented and that the restaurant was committed to following the council’s licensing objectives.

Reflecting both his and his client’s reaction to the decision, he said: “We thank all customers and local residents who wrote in to support us and we will continue to work with the council – and councillors – to make sure we’re an asset to the community.”

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