Issue - meetings

Report of the Senior Licensing Officer

The committee received a report of the Senior Licensing Officer which set out officers’ proposals on the policy’s review and the consultation.

          The Senior Licensing Officer brought to members’ attention the recommendations set out in the report.  Recommendation 3.2 was not required at this stage of the process and had been removed.  He informed members that officers would review the results of the consultation and bring any proposed amendments to the next meeting for consideration.  The draft policy had been amended to take account of the latest guidance and all amendments were set out in the report.  The report also set out the statutory bodies that had to be consulted.

          Councillor Hannon noted that the Government was in the process of reviewing the Gambling Act and questioned the timing of the council’s review.

          The Senior Licensing Officer explained that the Government’s White Paper was looking at the Gambling Act as a whole, some of which was not the responsibility of the local authority.  The council’s policy had to be reviewed before 6 January 2022.  The final version would be presented to the committee and then forwarded to the October Council meeting to ensure it met the legal deadline.  It was possible to review the policy at any time and the team would do this once the new law had been laid down.  The team would also monitor any Gambling Commission advice. 

            RESOLVED –

                   that officers consult upon the draft policy attached to this report. Consultation on the draft policy would start after the July committee, running for 6 weeks from 14 July until 25 August 2021. The results of the consultation and the final policy and equalities impact assessment would be considered by the committee in September 2021.