Agenda and draft minutes

To report any changes to the membership

1.1       Councillor Maggie Carman (Vice-Chair) advised that she would be chairing the Licensing Committee as Councillor Toki had sent his apologies.

1.2       Councillor Carman advised that Councillor Jessica Toale was substituting for Councillor Aziz Toki.

1.3       Apologies had been received from Councillors Ed Pitt-Ford, Amanda Langford and Caroline Sargent.

To receive declarations by Members and Officers of the existence and nature of any pecuniary interests or any other significant interest in matters on this agenda.

2.1           There were no declarations of interest.

To sign the minutes of the previous meeting held on Monday 4 December 2023.

3.1       Members were informed that Councillors Jim Glen and Jackie Wilkinson had been replaced on the Licensing Committee by Councillors Ed Pitt-Ford and Amanda Langford.

3.2       That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 December be approved as an accurate record of proceedings with the following amendments:

a)    Correct the spelling of Councillor Hamza Taouzzale’s name.

b)    Paragraph 1.1 change the words ‘was replaced’ with ‘was substituting.’

4.1       The Head of Service for Licensing and Regulatory Services introduced a report setting out the fee review that had been undertaken by the Licensing Service for all licensing regimes where the council could set a fee. It was explained that the proposed amended fees would enable the Council to recover its reasonable costs for administering, monitoring, and enforcing the Council’s licensing regimes.

4.2       Members were informed that when setting fees there was a statutory requirement to consider the income received for a licensing scheme compared to the overall cost of delivering the scheme. The Committee noted that the fee level must be set to recover the actual costs incurred by the Council in running the regime but not to make a profit.

4.3       The Committee considered that the Council now have to set Premises Licensing fees for several regimes in two parts, including massage and special treatment Premises and sex establishment which was established following the ruling by the Supreme Court for the Hemming Case.  The Committee noted that the approach was in compliance with the Provisions of Services Regulations 2009.

4.4       RESOLVED: That the proposed fees attached to the report be approved so that they commence on the 1 April 2024.