Meeting documents
Venue: Large & Small Committee Room, King George V House, King George V Road, Amersham
Contact: Mat Bloxham 01494 732143; email: mbloxham@chiltern.gov.uk
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To sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 December 2013. Minutes: The Minutes of the meeting held
on 5 December 2013, copies of which had been previously circulated, were agreed
by the Committee and signed by the Chairman as a correct record. |
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Declarations of Interest Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
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Mobiles Homes Act 2013 PDF 48 KB Minutes: The Licensing and
Regulation Committee received a report outlining the new responsibilities of
the Licensing Authority as a result of the Mobile Homes Act 2013. The Council has a statutory duty under the
Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 to license caravan sites that
have planning permission. The Council is
able to attach conditions to licenses to ensure basic standards relating to the
physical condition of the sites.Â
Councillors were advised that there were six licensed permanent multiple
residential caravan sites and eleven licensed permanent single residential
sites in the Chiltern District. The Mobile Homes
Act 2013 aimed to improve standards in the industry and to give greater
protection to home owners. The Mobile Homes
Act introduced new provisions in relation to location authority powers from 1
April 2014, which are: ·
Power
to charge fees for new residential site licences, licence transfers and
variations ·
Power
to charge an annual fee to existing residential site licence holders ·
Power
to refuse a licence (or to refuse to transfer a licence) ·
New
enforcement powers to tackle breach of licence conditions including powers to
serve and enforce ‘compliance notices’ and undertake emergency works together
with the power to recover expenses and costs relating thereto. ·
Requirement
to be the keeper of ‘Site Rules’ deposited with the authority by site operators
and Registers. Councillors were
advised that the guidance for the fees had not yet been received by the
Council, and therefore it was proposed that fees were not set for 2014/15. Once the guidance had been received it would
be reviewed in conjunction with South Bucks District Council. It was noted that it was unclear whether the
fees would be applied to the operator or to the resident of each of the
caravans. Gypsy and Traveller Sites were
not included in the Mobile Homes Act 2013 and were therefore exempt from
charges. RESOLVED: 1. That the new
local authority powers outlined in the Mobile Homes Act 2013 be noted 2. That a fee policy
be considered and developed during 2014/2015 to take effect from 1 April 2015,
and that no fees be charged for the year 2014/15, and
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Minutes: The Licensing and
Regulation Committee were advised that the Gambling Act 2005 introduced a
licensing framework for gambling activities.Â
This meant that any premise where gambling activities took place would
need to obtain permission prior to commencing the activities. The Council holds responsibility for issuing
premise licenses, permits and registrations, while the Gambling Commission
would responsible for personal licenses and operator licenses. It was noted that the Gambling Act 2005 did
not give the ability for the Licensing Authority to limit the number of betting
shops in one locality. Local Authorities
were lobbying Government to change this. The Licensing
Authority had the power to undertake inspections of the licensed premises. The Licensing and Regulation Committee noted
that there had been no complaints received about any of the licensed
premises. The requirements to get a
license from the Gambling Commission were strict. If there were any problems in a licensed
establishment, the Licensing Authority would liaise with the Gambling
Commission. One Councillor
questioned what the ‘Small Society Lottery’ license was. It was noted that this was used by schools
and community groups, and covered activities such as low level raffles. A maximum price for prices and proceeds were
placed on license holders, and Members were advised that it cost £40 to
register for a license. The license
would be used when tickets were sold in advance of a draw, and would ensure
that consumers were protected by the use of regulations. The license holder would have to provide a
statement to the Council outlining the proceeds of the raffle. It was stated that this was a valuable
community facility. RESOLVED: That the report be noted. |