Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Licensing Committee - Tuesday, 29th October, 2024 6.30 pm

Venue: Committee Rooms 4 & 5, Town Hall, Wellington Street, Woolwich SE18 6PW. View directions

Contact: Daniel Wilkinson  Email: committees@royalgreenwich.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

To receive apologies from Members of the Committee.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Joshua Ayodele, David Gardner, Dominic Mbang, Clare Burke-McDonald, Nick Williams.

 

Apologies for lateness were given by Councillors Christine May and Odette McGahey.

2.

Urgent Business

The Chair to announce any items of urgent business circulated separately from the main agenda.

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

3.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 45 KB

Members to declare any personal and financial interests in items on the agenda. Attention is drawn to the Council’s Constitution; the Council’s Code of Conduct and associated advice.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved -

 

That the list of Councillors’ memberships as Council appointed representatives on outside bodies, joint committees and school governing bodies is noted.

4.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 56 KB

Members are requested to confirm as an accurate record the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 May 2024.

No motion or discussion may take place upon the Minutes except as to their accuracy, and any question on this point will be determined by a majority of the Members of the body attending who were present when the matter in question was decided. Once confirmed, with or without amendment, the person presiding will sign the Minutes

Minutes:

Resolved –

 

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Committee held on 22 May 2024 be agreed and signed as a true and accurate record.

5.

Gambling Act 2005 – Adoption of Revised Gambling Policy pdf icon PDF 95 KB

To consider and commend to Council the revised Royal Borough of Greenwich Statement of Gambling Policy

Additional documents:

Decision:

Agreed to commend to Full Council the revised Royal Borough of Greenwich Statement of Gambling Policy in respect of the Gambling Act 2005.

Minutes:

The report was presented by the Head of Trading Standards and Environmental Health Commercial Services. He advised Members of the proposed change of the removal of the letter drop; the letter drop was not a statutory requirement and its proposed removal had not attracted negative comments in the consultation.

 

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement thanked the Officers for the revised Policy. The Cabinet Member noted the proposed change were not substantive. The consultation results had been reviewed; most of the residents’ comments fell outside of the scope of the Policy, some of the stakeholders’ comments had been taken into account.

 

In response to questions from the Committee, the Head of Trading Standards and Environmental Health Commercial Services replied that residents wishing to report matters should do so either through the contact centre or direct to the Licensing section. There was an integrated enforcement initiative, a multi-agency response, to deal with anti-social behaviour around premises. Licensing Officers had a good working relationship with the Public Health Team, which touched upon the harms caused by gambling.

 

Members commented on the proliferation of gambling advertising and online gambling, which could not be addressed locally.

 

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement commented that the Policy was focused on premises and they were constrained by the Gambling Act. The Cabinet Member indicated that the consultation had not revealed a huge demand for either a more permissive or a more prohibitive regime. The Cabinet Member noted that the introduction of 'Martyn’s Law' would affect premises that held events. The Council was preparing an addiction strategy which would include problem behaviour from gambling, as well as alcohol and drugs.

 

The Licensing Team Manager advised if there were future changes in legislation then they could review their Policy at any time to reflect those changes, they did not have to wait three years.

 

It was unanimously

 

Resolved -

 

That it be agreed to commend to Full Council the revised Royal Borough of Greenwich Statement of Gambling Policy in respect of the Gambling Act 2005.