Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

1.1  Apologies for absence were received from Councillors: Jacobson, Patrick and Buitekant Apologies for lateness/possible absence was received from Cllr Snell.

2.1  There were no declarations of interest.

3.1  The minutes of the meeting held on 30^th June 2016 were agreed as a true and accurate record of proceedings subject to Councillor Margaret Gordon being listed as present.  

Note and make any comments on the analysis of the consultation.

4.1  David Tuitt, Team Leader (Policy and Operations) introduced the report the purpose of which was to present an analysis of the consultation on Hackney’s Evening and Night time Economy.

4.2  The Committee noted that following the re-adoption of the current licensing policy in November 2015, consultation and engagement work commenced in February 2016 with the establishment of a Licensing Policy Steering Group. Official consultation on Hackney’s Evening (6pm-midnight) and Night-time Economy (midnight-6am) took place from 25 April -17 July 2016. The Council consulted residents using Hackney Today, the Council’s website, Hackney’s Bus Network, Pubwatch and Ward Forums.

4.3  A total of 2242 responses were received via the online and paper response mechanism, 73% of which were Hackney residents. The majority of respondents were from the E8 postcode area, closely followed by those from the E9 and N16 areas.

4.4  Some of the main points emanating from the responses include:

·  Most popular reason for visiting Hackney during the evening is to visit a pub or restaurant

·  Provision of public toilets and litter and waste were cited as requiring improvement.

·  The most popular times to socialise in the borough are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, with Friday being the most popular.

·  28% of respondents visit Dalston, 24% visit Shoreditch and 22% visit Hackney Central more than once a week

·  22% of respondents have never visited Hackney Wick

·  83% of respondents felt there should be less betting shops

·  More than 70% felt that there should be more live music/performance/comedy venues.

4.5  The Committee noted the additional information which was circulated which showed comparison between the range of respondents (age, sex ethnicity etc.) and was informed that going forward, officers will be looking at how the results will feed into the Licensing Policy.

4.6  The Chair, Councillor Emma Plouviez highlighted that respondents were from a key group of people within the age range of 25-44. The overall impression being that they are happy with the Evening and Night Time Economy.

4.7  Cllr Kennedy questioned whether the responses, in particular the use of venues after midnight, suggested a steer toward a more lenient policy. In response, the Chair stated that the results present a slightly distorted view and did not bring to light any new information. Going forward, no decisions have yet been made regarding the direction of the policy and officers will continue to investigate the best ways to consult.

4.8  Cllr Selman commented that it would be useful to further look at the samples from the consultation. It was suggested that the respondents may be predisposed to answering questions in a positive way due to how the questions are phrased.

4.9  Cllr Gordon noted that the questions were predicated assuming the respondents to be users of the Evening and Night Time Economy.

4.10  The Chair commented that it would have been useful to have received more of a range of users of the Evening and Night Time Economy to include non-licensable activities and reach those who do not use the Night  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.1  Members of the Committee specified that they would like a closed session at the end of the next committee meeting to include the following:

·  Overview of what has been happening at Sub Committees including recurring themes.

·  Legal Developments.

·  Licensing Enforcement general update and representations at Sub Committees.

·  Updates from other Responsible Authorities, namely the Police (although it was noted that they are likely to be particularly stretched over the Christmas period)

·  Update on activities of Pubwatch and any other steering groups

·  Barrister session

·  Case study (Members mentioned looking at Fabric, but it was noted that this may be subject to appeal and would be more useful once the entire process has been completed).