Agenda and minutes

To record apologies for absence. 

None received.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Licensing Acts Committee minutes of the meeting held on 16 May 2018 (attached). 

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 May 2018 as a correct record and agree that the Chairman sign these as such.

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

None.

To receive notification of any matters which the chairman determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chairman. 

None.

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

None.

To consider the Joint Gambling Policy report of the Head of Housing and Environment.

The committee considered the Joint Gambling Policy following the statutory consultation.

The committee noted the following minor changes to the existing policy:

·         Information was included on the detail required for premises risk assessments, including for them to be kept at the premises.

·         Paragraphs 2.7.2 and 2.7.3 refer to the local area profiles which were available on the council websites to assist operators in developing their risk assessments, required for the application process.

·         The policy had been updated to refer to GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 and the Councils’ licensing enforcement policy

·         Annex 4 referred to the recent government review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures and the decision that the maximum staked on fixed odds betting terminals would be reduced from £100 to £2.

The committee also noted that the Council currently has a ‘no casino’ clause which was first adopted in 2006 on the basis of the rural nature of the district with market towns being an inappropriate location for a casino; that casinos were better located in large towns or cities and the council should also protect the most vulnerable people from gambling in casinos.

RESOLVED:

(a)  To recommend Cabinet to recommend Council to:

(i)            Adopt the proposed Joint Gambling Policy

(ii)          Authorise the Head of Housing and Environment to make minor editorial changes to the Joint Gambling Policy

(iii)         Authorise the Head of Housing and Environment to publish the Joint Gambling Policy in accordance with the Gambling Act 2005 (Licensing Authority Policy Statement) (England and Wales) Regulations 2006.

(b)  To recommend Council to:

(i)    Adopt a ‘no casino’ resolution under section 166 (1) of the Gambling Act 2005, meaning that any application for a casino would not be considered.