Meeting documents

Venue: Council Chamber

Contact: Liz Hornby 

Items
No. Item

1.

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

            RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Committee held on 14 November 2013 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

 

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

To receive any disclosure of disclosable pecuniary interests by Members relating to items on the agenda. If any Member is uncertain as to whether an interest should be disclosed, he or she is asked if possible to contact the District Solicitor prior to the meeting.

Members are reminded that if they are declaring an interest, they should state the nature of that interest whether or not they are required to withdraw from the meeting.

Minutes:

There were none.

 

3.

Gambling Act 2005 Policy Review

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report on the Gambling Act 2005 Policy Review and noted that the Act had taken over some aspects of gambling in 2006.  The Gambling Commission was the ruling body and applications had to be made to them to obtain an Operator’s Licence before a premises licence could be applied for.  It was noted that Wycombe District Council (WDC) notified the Gambling Commission of any new premises licence applications that were received and the Licensing Unit submitted an annual return to the Commission.  The Committee noted that the Gambling Act 2005 had three objectives which underpinned the licensing regime –

 

1.    Preventing gambling from being a source of crime and disorder; being associated with crime and disorder or being used to support crime;

2.    Ensuring that gambling is carried out in a fair and open way;

3.    Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

 

These objectives were different to the Licensing Act objectives and were narrow objectives so were problematic for valid objections. 

 

In terms of premises licence applications relevant  Responsible Authorities were notified to have the opportunity to object if necessary, namely –

 

·         The Licensing Authority in whose area the premises is wholly/partly situated

·         The Gambling Commission

·         The Chief Officer of Police

·         The Fire and Rescue Authority

·         The Local Planning Authority

·         An authority which has functions in relation to pollution to the environment or harm to human health

·         Anybody, designated in writing by the Licensing Authority as competent to advise about the protection of children from harm

·         HM Revenue and Customs

 

Wycombe District currently had 20 betting shops, one adult gaming centre and one bingo hall operating in the Wycombe town centre. There were 110 current Lotteries permits in operation, 77 pubs who had automatic entitlement to 2 gambling machines and 9 pubs who had entitlement to more than two machines.  There were two types of Gambling Notices – an OUN (Occasional Use Notice) which was issued annually to Kimble Races and a TUN (Temporary Use Notice) although, to date, none of these had been issued. 

 

The Committee noted that the Gambling Policy needed to be reviewed every 3 years and as the last review was three years ago, it was time to do so.  The Committee noted the minor amendments in red in the report as a result of legislative changes.  They also noted that once approved by them, there would be a 12 week consultation period after which time it would be presented to this Committee again to look at and debate any comments made to the consultation before then being presented to full Council for approval.  Legally, the paper needed to be published before the end of the year. 

 

In answer to questions from Committee Members the following points were raised –

 

·         Under the heading ‘Background to the Area’ that ‘University College’ be amended to read ‘University’.

·         Under the heading ‘Background to the Area’ that wording be amended to read "one large shopping centre" rather than two  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.

Training for Licensing Panel Members

Officer Contacts:    Mrs Caroline Steven  Tel: 01494 421222

                                    Email: caroline_steven@wycombe.gov.uk

 

                                    Mrs Kiran Khana  Tel: 01494 421264

                                    Email: kiran_khana@wycombe.gov.uk

 

Executive Summary

 

Under the Licensing Act 2003, the local authority is responsible for determining applications made under the Act. This function is delegated to a Licensing Panel of three members.  Any Member wishing to take part in Panel Hearings must have received appropriate training, ideally at least every two years.

 

It is proposed to devote this meeting to training, with a view to bringing as many members as possible up to date with training needs and to offer a refresher of the processes involved.

 

Training on the 7 July will aim to give all Committee Members the opportunity to recap or learn aspects of the Act relating to Licensing Panel Hearings. It will enable Members to raise questions and Officers to provide guidance and assistance on key points and procedures in a training environment.

 

Members’ Guide and Training Notes

 

The Members’ Guide was re-issued in 2013 and a copy is attached for ease of reference, together with the procedure guides for Panels and Determinations.  All Members of the Committee should have a copy of WDC’s Licensing policy (copies available on request).

 

Outcomes and Next Steps

 

It will be the aim to give every member the training and confidence to take part in Licensing Panels.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Members received training from Mr Brian Whittall, WDC Licensing Officer and Mrs Kiran Khana, Principal Solicitor (Licensing).

 

5.

SUPPLEMENTARY ITEMS (IF ANY)

Minutes:

There were none.

 

6.

URGENT ITEMS (IF ANY)

Minutes:

There were none.