Agenda and minutes

To record the attendance of substitute councillors, if any, who have been authorised to attend in accordance with the provisions of standing order 17(1) with notification having been given to the proper officer before the start of the meeting and to receive apologies for absence. 

Councillors Halliday, Melville and Morgan sent their apologies.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the committee meeting held on 14 May 2014 (previously published).

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting of 14 May 2014 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.

Purpose: To present the General Licensing Committee with a revised street trading policy following public consultation.

Recommendations: That the committee

1)         recommends Council to adopt the proposed street trading policy.

2)        subject to Council adopting the policy in (1) above:

a.      appoints sub-committees comprising any three members, or their appointed substitutes, of the General Licensing Committee

b.      agrees that the sub-committees be known as street trading panels

c.      appoints each member or substitute of the General Licensing Committee to serve on any street trading panel which is convened so as to include them in its membership

d.      authorises each street trading panel to discharge all functions relating to matters referred to the panel by the council’s licensing officer under the street trading policy

e.      agrees that, wherever possible, applications should be heard by a panel comprising the chairman or vice-chairman of the committee plus two other members of the committee, but that this should not affect the principle that any three members or their substitutes of the committee will constitute a properly appointed panel

f.        authorises the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to invite an appropriate panel to conduct a scheduled hearing having regard to members’ availability and eligibility to take part and ensuring that as far as possible all members of the committee have the opportunity to conduct hearings.

3)         authorises the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to make any further minor editorial changes to the policy.

The committee considered the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, the revised draft street trading policy, and the summary of responses to the consultation on the original draft.

The head of legal and democratic services and the licensing team leader introduced the report, proposed revised recommendations and answered questions. The revised recommendations clarified the scope of the authorisation to make minor alterations to the policy before and after Council.

RESOLVED:

(1) to recommend Council to:

(a) adopt the proposed street trading policy to come into force on 1 October 2014 and

(b) authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to make any further minor editorial changes to the policy.

(2) subject to Council adopting the policy in (1) above:

a.    to appoint sub-committees comprising any three members, or their appointed substitutes, of the General Licensing Committee;

b.    that the sub-committees be known as street trading panels;

c.    to appoint each member or substitute of the General Licensing Committee to serve on any street trading panel which is convened so as to include them in its membership;

d.    to authorise each street trading panel to discharge all functions relating to matters referred to the panel by the council’s licensing officer under the street trading policy;

e.    that wherever possible, applications should be heard by a panel comprising the chairman or vice-chairman of the committee plus two other members of the committee, but that this should not affect the principle that any three members or their substitutes of the committee will constitute a properly appointed panel; and

f.     to authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to invite an appropriate panel to conduct a scheduled hearing having regard to members’ availability and eligibility to take part and ensuring that as far as possible all members of the committee have the opportunity to conduct hearings.

(3) to authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to incorporate any changes to the proposed policy agreed by the committee and, in consultation with the chairman of the committee, any other minor alterations, for recommendation to Council.