Sandwell Council has revoked the licence of the Tiger Tavern Pub and Grill in Powis Avenue, Tipton, following a Home Office request. The decision came after the establishment was found to have employed an illegal worker who was paid just £7 per hour—significantly below the national minimum wage of £12.21.
Immigration Inspection and Fine
During an enforcement visit in August 2025, immigration officers discovered a dishwasher working without the legal right to work in the UK. The worker, who entered the country on a student visa in 2023, told officials she had been employed for around three months, working Saturdays from 6am to 11pm for about £50 cash in hand. She stated that no right-to-work checks were conducted before she started.
Owner and manager Gurminder Singh was fined £45,000 last year for failing to carry out proper employment checks. He initially objected to the penalty, but the fine was upheld and not appealed by November 2025.
Licensing Hearing
At a hearing on July 10, licensing chair Matt Lloyd noted that Mr. Singh had made no “significant” changes since the Home Office visit, leading the committee to revoke the licence. Mr. Singh admitted the employment was the “biggest mistake he’d ever made” and claimed he had trusted his business partner to handle checks. “Everyone can make a mistake, I’ve learned [from] my mistake,” he said. “I was fined £45,000 and I’ll pay it. It’s my mistake.”
Duncan Craig, the licensing barrister representing Mr. Singh, argued that the illegal worker had “slipped through the net” and that the pub needed its licence to pay off the fine. “This was one employee out of a number,” he said. “This is not endemic, it’s not part of the operation. If he doesn’t have a licence, the company won’t be in a position to pay off that fine. The business won’t be viable.”
Committee Concerns
Cllr Paul Tromans countered that the single illegal worker represented “25% of the workforce” and that right-to-work checks were only carried out in June 2026—nearly a year after the initial inspection. Cllr Karl Leech criticized Mr. Singh for not starting to pay the fine sooner. The Home Office report also noted that two other staff members were found to be limited to 20 hours per week and lacked the right to work.
The report stated: “The illegal worker confirmed that she was paid in cash at a rate of £7 per hour, which is significantly below the national minimum wage of £12.21. Given that she had no lawful right to work and therefore no ability to obtain legal employment in the UK, this payment arrangement is a clear indicator of exploitation.”
Mr. Singh had claimed the worker only started on the day of the visit, but the report emphasized that right-to-work checks must be completed before any work begins, regardless of employment length. The committee concluded that the licence should be revoked due to the severity of the breaches and the lack of remedial action.
