Agenda and minutes

To confirm as a correct record

These minutes were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as

possible thereafter:

(i)    any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPIs) and / or

(ii)   other interests arising under the Code of Conduct

in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at the meeting. Anyone with a DPI must, unless a dispensation has been granted, withdraw from the meeting during consideration of the relevant item of business. If in doubt, advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer or her staff prior to the meeting.

Councillor Colin White declared that he was treasurer of the South Godstone Sports Club and was involved in applying for licences (on the Club’s behalf) to the Council.

The Committee considered a proposed draft Statement of Licensing Policy to replace the current version which had originally been adopted for the period 2015-2020. As explained within the covering report, the key revisions in the new version were:

·           to reflect changes in legislation, such as the Immigration Act 2016 and the Policing and Crime Act 2017

·           a new section for the ‘Council’s aspirations and vision for the place’ (section 7) and to ensure that the policy supports the Council’s Strategic Plan

·           to consider the implications of pandemics and the potential for licensed premises to spread viruses by contravening health regulations – this could, for example, relate to the licensing objective of preventing crime and disorder (section 8)

·           to refer to the shared Tandridge and Mole Valley licensing service which, while enabling shared expertise and greater resilience, still allowed for the two Authorities to retain separate policies and decision-making processes (section 12)

·           to improve the information regarding expectations for the risk assessments that should be undertaken prior to submitting an application (particularly section 20)

·           a new section for alcohol delivery services, with improved guidance on controls which the Council would expect to be in place (section 22)

·           a new section on ‘music entertainment at alcohol licensed premises’ (section 25) as a consequence of the Live Music Act 2012 and the fact that the Council could impose conditions regarding music following a review of a premises licence which had been triggered by a noise nuisance.  

Paul Holliday, the Senior Licensing Officer, explained the above changes and responded to Members’ questions about these and other aspects of the policy. Issues raised by Members included:

·           the cost implications for those businesses having to use alternatives to glassware on licenced premises, or at licensable events, should be taken into account 

·           the new policy should reflect the need for:

Ø outdoor event organisers to take weather conditions into account when preparing risk assessments;

Ø  licence holders to ensure adherence to food safety requirements

·           the role and status of Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs)

Paul Holliday explained that food safety aspects were already covered by separate inspection regimes undertaken by Environmental Health and Trading Standards teams. He also referred to the guidance in section 23 of the draft policy concerning large scale events, i.e. that organisers were strongly advised to seek guidance from SAGs, even though SAGs had no statutory powers.    

The Chair asked if it would be possible for the website to enable residents to post comments about premises licence applications in the same way as they could for planning applications via the planning portal (notwithstanding the fact that determinations would still be subject to current due process in accordance with the Licencing Act 2003). Paul Holliday advised that, while the licensing team was not sufficiently resourced to administer a public comments section on the website, the existing licensing content could be improved, for example to:

·      reflect amendments to licensing applications during the consultation process; and

·      confirm receipt of representations and whether applications would be proceeding to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 179.