Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Town Hall, Watford

Contact: Jodie Kloss/Alan Garside  Email: legalanddemocratic@watford.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Committee membership/ election of a Chair

Minutes:

The Committee and Scrutiny Support Officer confirmed that the Sub-Committee would comprise Councillors Connal, Fahmy and Scudder.

 

The Sub-Committee was asked to elect a Chair for the hearing.

 

RESOLVED –

 

that Councillor Fahmy be elected Chair for the hearing.

 

2.

Disclosure of interests (if any)

Minutes:

There were no disclosures of interest.

 

3.

Review of premises licence: Roosters, 38 High Street, Watford pdf icon PDF 111 KB

Report of the Head of Community and Environmental Services.

 

The report asks the sub-committee to review the premises licence following the receipt of an application from the Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Introduction to the application

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Head of Community and Environmental Services. 

 

The Senior Licensing Officer introduced the report outlining the application for review of the premises licence.  Hertfordshire Constabulary had brought the review on the basis that all four licensing objectives were being undermined. 

 

The review application had been brought as a result of a number of incidents, some of which were crimes, between 4 and 12 March 2017.  The crimes took place during hours that the premises was operating under its licence.  Video footage of the incidents had been circulated to all parties and had been viewed by the Sub-Committee. No other representations had been received.

 

A number of meetings had taken place between representatives of the premises and the Police. One of the meetings had taken place since the publication of the report and parties would provide an update on the outcomes and any agreements. 

 

A review of a premises licence was a serious matter. The purpose of the procedure was to look again at the licence and not to punish licence holders. He referred to the relevant sections of the council’s Statement of Licensing Policy. 

 

In this instance, the Police had put forward their own suggestions for conditions which were a starting point for the Sub-Committee.

 

The two questions before the Sub-Committee were:

·        Is the Sub-Committee satisfied that the premises are undermining the licensing objectives?

·        If the premises are held to be undermining the licensing objectives, what measures, if any, are appropriate to promote the licensing objectives?

 

There were no questions of the Licensing Officer.

 

Application for review

 

Hertfordshire Constabulary were invited to present the review application.

 

Sergeant Brown introduced the application.  She noted that the premises licence holder, Mr Tahir Mirza, was currently very unwell and she sent her best wishes for his recovery.  She thanked Mr Khalid Mirza, the premises licence holder’s brother and the franchiser, for representing the premises on his behalf.

 

The review application centred on concerns following a violent assault inside the premises.  Her concerns were set out in the review application which remained accurate.  As well as the licensing objectives, Hertfordshire Constabulary’s priorities were to keep people safe and to put victims first and it was these concerns which led to the review application. Footage of the assault in question had been widely circulated on social media and featured in the national press.

 

Mr Tahir Mirza’s illness meant that he had been unable to respond to contact from the Police who wished to have a positive relationship with licensees.

 

Following the most recent meeting with Mr Tooey, Sergeant Brown had produced a summary of discussions. Parties agreed that this document could be circulated to the Sub-Committee. Following an initial meeting, changes had been agreed and implemented. A further meeting had taken place where measured were checked and further changes discussed. The summary covered what had been agreed and what was not yet agreed.

 

Sergeant Brown noted that the measures already in place included an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

 

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