It was moved by Councillor Leslie Pearton and seconded by Councillor John Knight that:

Cllr Sara Langdale be elected Chair of the Licensing Committee for this meeting.

On being put to the vote it was carried by a majority that Cllr Sara Langdale be duly elected Chair of the Licensing Committee for this meeting.

It was moved by Councillor Sara Langdale and seconded by Councillor Leslie Pearton that:

Cllr Steve Thompson be elected Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee for this meeting.

On being put to the vote it was carried by a majority that Cllr Steve Thompson be duly elected Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee for this meeting.

An apology for absence was received from Cllr Greta Goatley; Cllr John Knight appeared as her substitute. An apology for absence was also received from Cllr Gary Harding.

The minutes of the meeting held on 28 September 2017 were signed by the Chair.

No declarations of interest were made.

The Regulatory Services Manager presented Members with a draft of the revised Statement of Licensing Policy under the Licensing Act 2003 and the proposed consultation methodology.

The current policy has provided a stable but flexible background to the council’s consideration of licensing applications and works well in promotion of the four licensing objectives:

• Prevention of crime and disorder
• Public safety
• Prevention of public nuisance 
• Protection of children from harm This is illustrated by the fact that the policy has not been legally challenged

The proposed changes made to the revised Statement of Licensing Policy, as shown in Appendix 2, are only of a minor or administrative nature to reflect changes in the wording of the statutory guidance or for the sake of greater clarity/accuracy.

A 6-week consultation is proposed, commencing no later than 17 September 2018.  Methods of consultation will be via the council’s website and notice board, and by direct email and mail shots.

The amended version of the Gravesham Statement of Licensing Policy under the Licensing Act 2003 will then be presented to Full Council on 4 December 2018 for approval and published thereafter.

The Regulatory Services Manager fielded questions from the Committee and highlighted the following:

·         The removal of the requirement for a Designated Premises Supervisor in a Community Premises is legislatively permissible.

·         The Late Night Levy is more suited to larger areas / cities rather than towns like Gravesham with a low scale night time economy.

The Committee discussed the policy and proposed the following amendments:

·         The typographical error at Paragraph 2.2 of the report be corrected; the reference to ‘Gambling Policy’ needs to be removed and replaced with ‘Licensing Policy’

·         Additional wording is needed in the ‘Good Practice Measures’ table to clarify that although the measures are good practice, they are not legal requirements.

·         Include a list of all the consultees.

The Regulatory Services Manager advised that he would email the Committee a full list of the consultees following the meeting.

Resolved that, subject to the inclusion of the above mentioned amendments, Members noted the policy and consultation process as outlined in the report and instructed officers to proceed on that basis.

The Regulatory Services Manager presented Members with a draft of the revised Statement of Licensing Policy under the Gambling Act 2005 and the proposed consultation methodology.

In drafting the revised Gambling Policy, due regard has been taken to the current (5th) edition of the statutory ‘Guidance to Licensing Authorities’ (GLA) issued to local authorities by the Gambling Commission.

The proposed changes made to the revised Statement of Licensing Policy, as shown in Appendix 2, are only of a minor or administrative nature to reflect changes in the wording of the 5th GLA or for the sake of greater clarity/accuracy as any notable changes to the GLA were proactively incorporated into the council’s Statement of Licensing Policy at its last three-yearly revision.

It is proposed that the revised policy will come into effect on 3 January 2019 and remain valid for a period of three years, until 2 January 2022, unless it becomes necessary to make further revisions beforehand following changes to legislation, statutory guidance or local circumstances, for example.

A 6-week consultation is proposed, commencing no later than 17 September 2018.  Methods of consultation will be via the council’s website and notice board, and by direct email and mail shots.

The response and recommendations will be brought back to the Licensing Committee when it reconvenes on 6 November 2018 for further, post-consultation, consideration.

The amended version of the Gravesham Statement of Licensing Policy under the Gambling Act 2005 will then be presented to Full Council on 4 December 2018 for approval and published thereafter.

The Committee discussed the policy and the proposed consultation process.

Resolved that Members noted the policy and consultation process as outlined in the report and instructed officers to proceed on that basis.