Agenda item

RESOLVED: To note the report

4.1  David Tuitt, Team Leader Licensing, introduced the report. It was noted that the report would also be presented to Full Council for information. Some of the main points of activity and achievement over the past financial year were highlighted as follows:

Licensing Act 2003

·  The function that generates the most work is applications and correspondence under the Licensing Act 2003.

·  There were 92 new licences granted under the Licensing Act 2003. The number of minor variation licences granted and applications to vary licences to specify a Designated Premises Supervisor both continued on a slight  upward trend from the previous year.

·  As expected, the number of Temporary Event Licences (TENs) received increased following the impact of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. Numbers had however not returned to what they were pre-pandemic.

·  16 review applications were received, which was the highest in the past five years.  This was largely due to expedited review applications by the Metropolitan Police

·  There was a significant increase in the number of personal licences granted compared to the previous year. This was in contrast to the downward trend seen in the previous four years.

·  There were 58  Sub-Committee hearings, exceeding 50 for the first time since 2017/18. This increase was due to increased expedited review applications and temporary event notices where representations had been received .

In response to a question from the Committee regarding the number of TENs granted and refused, the Licensing Team Leader advised that the information was not contained within the report. Cllr Fajana-Thomas, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Regulatory Services confirmed that approximately 78 percent of TENs received were approved. She advised that more concise information was available and could be provided outside of the meeting.

Gambling Act 2005

·  There had been a downward trend in the number of premises that people could gamble in (betting, gambling, adult gaming centres and bingo). This is the lowest number since the Gambling Act 2005 commenced in 2007.

Massage and Special Treatments (MST) Licences

·  MST licences include: nail bars, massage parlours, sauna & steam rooms and tattooists. There was a big fall in applications  during the previous year due to the pandemic.

·  Figures have not yet returned to what they were in 2019/2020, suggesting the Service has further work to do on this function to ensure that these premises are properly regulated.

Key Projects

·  The service continued to be affected by resource issues as they were the previous.

·  Key projects included: work on digital transformation, reintroduction of a routine inspection regime and policy assessment and initiatives under the Licensing Act 2003, implementation of a new database and a review of fees. 

4.2  Following the presentation, Members asked questions, which were responded to as follows:

·  It was explained that the implementation of the new Salesforce database system would bring about efficiency savings as following the criminal cyber attack on the council’s IT systems, all data entry was undertaken manually. It was further explained that the on-line register which enabled residents to find out the opening hours of licensed premises, was no longer available following the cyber-attack which has led to more telephone and on-line queries.

·  There were limitations on what the service could do in relation to the setting and collection of fees however, sustainability and positive environmental behaviours would be encouraged and promoted through policy implementation.  

·  The increase in review applications as referred to at page 19 of the agenda pack were in part due to one premises on Mare Street having 6 review applications, owing to having 3 licences in place. The general increase was felt to be a reflection of the  reopening of the  Night Time Economy, following restrictions. Whilst this was not a cause for concern per se, it was noted that review decisions were often appealed which presented further pressure on officer time.

·  In reference to page 23 of the agenda pack, it was explained that CSEBR stood for Community Safety Enforcement and Business Regulation. Members were advised that work on the digital transformation was not as far along as planned. The entire service area was included in the digital transformation (including Environmental Health, Environmental Protection, Trading Standards and parts of Housing), which would be rolled out in phases, with various functions prioritised.

RESOLVED: To note the report