Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Council Offices, Coalville

Contact: Democratic Services  01530 454512

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors G A Allman and J G Coxon.

 

Councillor M Specht suggested that a card be sent to Councillor G A Allman on behalf of the Committee wishing him a speedy recovery.  All Members agreed.

2.

Declarations of Interest

Under the Code of Conduct members are reminded that in declaring disclosable interests you should make clear the nature of that interest and whether it is ‘Pecuniary’ or ‘Non-Pecuniary’.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 141 KB

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2014.

 

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2014.

 

In relation to the installation of IDOX public access software referred to on page four of the minutes, Councillor T Eynon asked what training had been offered and if Members were satisfied that the software met their needs.   The Environmental Health Team Manager reported that since November Officers had spent time updating the software which allowed the public to view details of current licences and applications, plus Officers were available at any time to assist Members in using the software.  He stated that the link to the webpage would continue to be included in the Members weekly bulletin but proposed that a word document of the log also be attached.  He concluded that access to the software had been set up in the Council Chamber and a demonstration would be given to any Members interested after the meeting.

 

By affirmation of the meeting it was

 

RESOLVED THAT:

 

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2014 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

4.

Review of Gambling Act Statement of Licensing Policy pdf icon PDF 146 KB

Report of the Environmental Health Team Manager

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Environmental Health Team Manager presented the report to Members.

 

In response to a question from Councillor G Jones, the Licensing Team Leader explained that background checks were not undertaken by the Council in relation to the people running the premises; this was done by the Gambling Commission.

 

Councillor T Neilson asked if there was any statutory guidance on what was to be included in the Local Area Profile.  The Licensing Team Leader reported that the Gambling Commissions guidance had only been released within the last two weeks and the Council’s Local Area Profile had already been drafted.  He explained that the lack of complaints from consultees indicated that it was sufficient.

 

Regarding the licensing objective to protect children and other vulnerable people, Councillor T Neilson asked if there were any examples of what was currently happening or a list of what might be required.  The Licensing Team Leader explained that people were monitored when using certain types of machines and he was impressed with how it was being handled in the area.  In response to a further question on the matter, the Licensing Team Leader reported that in premises licensed to sell alcohol, the number of machines permitted was restricted to two with low stakes of a maximum of one pound. The machines had to be placed in the sight of the bar staff within the premises and it was essentially the staff’s responsibility to monitor the usage.  He concluded that there had been no complaints received.

 

In response to a question from Councillor T Neilson regarding the list of bodies consulted as detailed within appendix B of the report, the Environmental Health Team Manager confirmed that ‘other faith groups’ should be removed as it was the Salvation Army only.

 

Councillor M Specht referred to fixed odd betting terminals and was pleased that they did not seem to be a problem in the area; he asked how often they would be monitored.  The Licensing Team Leader reported that all of the licensed premises in the area had these types of machines and that they had been visited twice so far this year on an ad hoc basis.

 

In relation to the risk assessment for premises that was undertaken when applying for a licence, Councillor N Clarke asked why this would reduce the amount of review required.  The Licensing Team Leader explained that it was a form of self compliance and by assessing themselves they would gain a better understanding of the area. The Environmental Health Team Manager added that the risk assessment helped the officers when considering an application with regards to adding conditions and after ten years of legislation there had been no licence reviews.

 

Councillor T Eynon commented that she was pleased that the Leicestershire Partnership NHS had been consulted but was disappointed that the Primary Care trust had not.  She also expressed concerns that there was nothing in the report to indicate how the outcomes would be measured so there was no data to rely on.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.