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Agenda item

Late Night Levy - Year 5, Quarter 4 Update

Meeting of Licensing Committee, Thursday 8 December 2022 7.00 pm (Item 4.)

Decision:

RESOLVED: To note the report and the appendices

Minutes:

4.1 Samantha Mathys Late Night Levy (LNL) Manager introduced the report, which provided an update on the Late Night Levy activities during the fourth quarter of Year 5 (1 August 2022 to 31 October 2022). It was explained that the levy year ran from 1 November to 31 October.

4.2 The following points were highlighted:

Income

· There has been a return to normal income levels. The total receipts in Year 5 amounted to £492,277. Overdue payments for amounts owed from previous years due to the pandemic being received.

· A balance of £146,232 was carried over from previous years.

· An annual financial report will be prepared at the end of the financial year.

Expenditure

· Year 5 expenditure was set out in Appendix 1 paragraph 2.1. The first 3 columns related to the administration of the levy including officer salaries and law enforcement service which were taken at the end of each financial year.

· The police spend from July 2020-July 2022 was £197, 961. There was always a long delay between dates of policing provision and invoicing dates.

· The policing agreement ran over a six month period. Final confirmed spending past July 2022 would be confirmed in 2023.

· Redeployable Camera Data Package had been renewed for the four redeployable CCTV cameras for 3 Years. There was also a cost associated with moving the cameras around the borough.

· Costs associated with training, print, design and recruitment were primarily due to the accreditation scheme launch in September 2022.

· A budget was being prepared for the 2023/24 financial year which would be presented to the LNL Board in January 2023 and at a future Licensing Committee.

· There was a balance remaining of just over 231k; this did not include any policing costs which were still to be invoiced.

Crime Prevention, Engagement & Education

· Regular direct engagement with licensed premises continued. This ensured staff were well informed about implementing preventative measures. Subsequently, the database of managers and contacts continued to grow.

· Regular training via the online Hackney Nights portal and in person continued to be offered free of charge to licensed premises.

· There were 7 accredited venues with approximately 12 applications for accreditation pending.

Enforcement and Welfare of Night Time Economy Users

· Regular training via the online Hackney Nights portal and in person continued to be offered free of charge to licensed premises.

· There were 7 accredited venues with approximately 12 applications for accreditation pending.

Communication and Information Sharing with Stakeholders

· There was a commitment to ensure that guidance and best practice was readily available and businesses were aware of how to access information they required. The main vehicle for this remained the Hackney Nights Portal

· Engagement visits were also geared at signing up new premises to the portal.

· The winter edition of the newsletter went out to all licensed premises across the borough. This was believed to have accounted for the increased uptake of applications for the accreditation scheme.

4.3 Concluding, it was felt that the investment in preventative programmes and schemes had paid off. There was still some resistance to paying the LNL fees but a pragmatic approach continued to be taken. In preparation for the festive period and the World Cup, the highest amount of staff training had been undertaken than any previous year.

4.4 Following the update, Members asked question which were responded to as follows:

· Police resources were being reduced between January 2023 and March 2023 from 1 Inspector, 4 Sergeants and 24 Police Constables across NTE areas to 1 Inspector, 3 Sergeants and 18 Police Constables. This was a police-led decision taken at the LNL Board. There would be a reduced cost, however previous resource levels were expected to resume during the spring and throughout the busier months.

· It was difficult to give an overview of finances mid financial year. The remaining balance did not account for any incoming invoices from the police that were expected to be received. Income was also still being received. A clearer response could be provided at the first committee meeting of the municipal year, in May 2023 (ACTION: Samantha Mathys).

· It was reported that Amy Lamé, Night Czar, Chair of the Night Time Borough Champions Network. had visited Hackney for a walkabout of the NTE. In addition, there was a NTE Lead Members’ Forum. Cllr Fajana-Thomas had been liaising with her Islington counterpart with regard to Hackney’s LNL .Ideas of how to share best practise and successes were welcomed Members suggested that officers investigate the possibility of the Council’s Communication team providing some wider publicity on Hackney’s NTE and LNL. (ACTION: Samantha Mathys).

· A police officer was assaulted within the NTE area and was attended to by an on duty LNL medic. He had since made a full recovery.

· It would be ensured that all Committee members were on the distribution list and received the newsletters (ACTION: Samantha Mathys).

RESOLVED: To note the report and the appendices

Supporting documents: