An apology for absence was received from Cllr Greta Goatley and Cllr Steve Thompson; Cllr Harold Craske and Cllr Rob Halpin appeared as their respective substitutes.

The minutes of the meeting held on 4 September 2018 were signed by the Chair.

The Regulatory Services Manager presented Members with feedback on the responses received during the public consultation on the review of the Gravesham Borough Council Statement of Licensing Policy under the Licensing Act 2003.

Evaluation of each response and a recommendation as to whether or not to amend the policy statement was conducted by the Licensing Officer and Regulatory Services Manager. Recommendations have been entered onto a grid which is attached at Appendix 3 to the report.

The Regulatory Services Manager highlighted the main amendments to the Committee, as detailed in Appendix 3 to the report.

Resolved that the Committee noted the recommendations shown in Appendix 3 and recommended that these be incorporated in the Statement of Licensing Policy to be put before the Council for approval on 18 December 2018.

The Regulatory Services Manager presented Members with feedback on the responses received during the public consultation on the review of the Gravesham Borough Council Statement of Licensing Policy under the Gambling Act 2005.

Evaluation of each response and a recommendation as to whether or not to amend the policy statement was conducted by the Licensing Officer and Regulatory Services Manager. Recommendations have been entered onto a grid which is attached at Appendix 3to the report.

The Regulatory Services Manager highlighted the main amendments to the Committee, as detailed in Appendix 3 to the report.

Following a question from the Committee, The Regulatory Services Manager explained that an extensive list of all the consultees had been circulated to Members of the Committee following the last meeting. The consultees had all been contacted and provided with equal opportunity to engage in the consultation.

The Regulatory Services Manager reminded Members that, at its meeting on 8 December 2015, Full Council approved a ‘no-casinos’ resolution as allowed under Section 166 of the Gambling Act 2005. On 18 December 2018, Council will need to decide whether to ratify the ‘no-casinos’ resolution for a further three years so that it can be included in the new policy.

Resolved that:

·         The Committee noted the recommendations shown in Appendix 3 to the report and recommended that these be incorporated in the Statement of Licensing Policy to be put before the Council for approval on 18 December 2018

·         The Committee recommended that Full Council ratify the existing no-casinos resolution for a further three years.

The Committee considered and noted the Minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Panel held on Wednesday, 30 August 2018.

The Committee considered and noted the Minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Panel held on Wednesday, 31 October 2018.