Just over half (51%) of all licensed premises have applied to their local council for a new licence to sell alcohol, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
With just six working days to go until the licence conversion deadline, a number of councils in England and Wales are expected to keep their doors open on the final day, Saturday 6 August, to help process forms from those lagging behind.
A spokesman for DCMS said that councils had seen a 9% week-on-week increase in the number of applications in the last few weeks, but wouldn't comment on how many were expected to make the deadline.
"The situation is changing rapidly but we are still urging operators to get their applications in before 6 August, as after that the process is much more involved and complicated."
Last week the Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services painted a bleaker picture, estimating that only 30% of premises had made their applications and that only a half would make the deadline.
In a last-ditch attempt to speed up the application rate the Government has launched a licensing helpline on 020 7072 7447 or e-mail queries to licensing@lga.gov.uk.