(Members Code of Conduct – Part 4A of the Constitution)

To receive disclosures of interests from members and co-opted members on matters to be considered at the meeting. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

Notes:

(1)      Members must consider their interests, and act according to the following:

(2)      Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

(3)      Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them.  A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. 

(4)      Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.

(Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)

Reports and background papers for agenda items may be inspected by contacting the person shown after each agenda item.  Certain reports and background papers may be restricted. 

Any request to remove the restriction on a report or background paper should be made to the relevant Strategic Director or Assistant Director whose name is shown on the front page of the report. 

If that request is refused, there is a right of appeal to this meeting. 

Please contact the officer shown below in advance of the meeting if you wish to appeal. 

(Louis Kingdom – 07890 416570)

The Assistant Director Waste, Fleet and Transport Services will present a report (Document “Z”) outlining an application for a new premises licence for the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises.

Recommended –

Members are invited to consider the information and documents referred to in this report and, after hearing individuals, bodies or businesses, determine the related application(s).

(Melanie McGurk – 01274 431873)

The report of the Assistant Director, Waste, Fleet, Environmental Health and Licensing Services (Document “Z”) outlined an application for a new premises licence for the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises. The Licensing Officer summarised the report and highlighted the proposed operating schedule, the relevant representations that had been received and that were set out in Appendix 2 to Document “Z”. Attention was given to the steps proposed by the applicant to address the licensing objectives.

The applicant’s representative outlined the application and told the Panel that the applicant had held licences previously and there had been no issues. Members were told that the proposed hours were the same as the operating schedule of the previous premises licence that was revoked.

The representations that had been received were addressed and the applicant’s representative stated that although the representations received raised concerns about the sale of illicit tobacco Trading Standards had not made a representation. Furthermore, the Panel were informed that Trading Standards had carried out a test purchase and the premises had complied with the legal requirements relating to age restricted products. The concerns relating to anti-social behaviour were acknowledged although the applicant’s representative argued that a single premises could not be blamed for this, and no representation or concerns had been received from the Police.

A Member asked if the applicant took over following the revocation of the previous premises licence on 31 October 2023 and was informed that this was correct although the applicant was not connected to the previous licence holder.

The Legal Officer asked why there had been no steps proposed within the application to address public safety and the applicant’s representative explained that there was a secondary exit route in case of emergency. It was added that the applicant was open to additional conditions if the Panel felt it necessary.

Cllr Azam who had submitted a representation addressed the meeting and acknowledged the test purchase by Trading Standards and said that compliance with legal requirements in relation to age restricted products should always be the case. The Panel were told that the premises had previously caused lots of issues for residents and there was no need for a 24 hour off licence in such close proximity to a residential area and there should be a cut off time.

Councillor Azam also sought clarity from the Licensing Officer regarding how many times a premises licence could be revoked before the premises was closed permanently. The Licensing Officer explained the process in relation to a licence being revoked and the appeal period and clarified that a premises cannot be closed if a previous licence had been revoked and that in this instance since the revocation the applicant had traded under Temporary Event Notices (TENs). The Licensing Officer added that groceries and tobacco could be sold without a licence.

A Member noted that the representation submitted mentioned anti-social behaviour and asked what the issues were. Members were informed that people were purchasing alcohol and congregating  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.