Agenda item

Report of the Operational Director, Premises Management

4.1       The Committee received a report which set out the methodology, costs, budgets and proposed fees for general licensing regimes in 2015/16.  These included gambling premises and scrap metal dealers but did not include sex establishments, marriage and special treatment licensing regimes which it was proposed would be deferred to a later date in 2015.  Ms Hayes stated that it would be necessary to review the fees every year.  The proposed fees would enable the Council to recover its reasonable costs in processing, determining and ensuring compliance of the licence.  The increase in gambling premises and scrap metal dealer fees reflected the increased workload being undertaken this year.  

4.2       The Committee asked Ms Hayes a number of questions in respect of the report.  The Chairman referred to the fact that the Gambling Commission was proposing some changes this year in respect of applications and some more fundamental ones in 2016.  He asked about the impact of these on the Council, particularly the likely requirement for risk assessments in 2016.  Ms Hayes replied that the Gambling Regulations set a cap on the amount that licensing authorities can charge for applications under the Gambling Act.  Therefore though there was the potential for the Council to spend more on meeting the changes put forward by the Gambling Commission, there was a limit to what the Council could charge in order to try and recover its reasonable costs.  The Council was spending more money already than it could charge for aspects of the gambling regime, such as betting shops, due to the cap.  The Chairman made the point that a record should be kept of where spending had exceeded the cap as part of Council lobbying on this issue.    

4.3       Councillor Aiken asked whether work was being undertaken to encourage online renewals.  Ms Hayes replied that purely in terms of the gambling regime, it was not part of the EU Services Directive and it was therefore not possible to apply online for applications at this time.  It was intended to provide gambling applications online when possible.  Online renewals had worked successfully for special treatments.  The Council did not receive many applications for animal licensing and at the moment it was necessary to weigh up the cost benefit of introducing this service online.  The ultimate goal was to have all the licensing regime applications online.  In response to Councillor Burbridge’s question as to why the riding establishments’ fees had risen significantly, Ms Hayes informed Members that this related to staff visits which were required to be carried out accompanied by vets. The vets’ time was charged to the Council.  There had also been an increased number of these applications.

4.4       The Committee approved the proposed fees set out in the report and that the fee reviews for sex establishments, marriage and special treatment licensing regimes would be deferred until later in the year.  It was agreed as requested by Councillor Caplan that the fees being considered would be assessed on an annual basis and that would also be the case for the licensing regime fees deferred until later in 2015.

4.5       RESOLVED: (i) That the proposed fees attached to the report as Appendix 1 be approved commencing 1^st April 2015;

(ii) That the fee reviews for Sex Establishments, Marriage and Special Treatment licensing regimes be deferred to a later date in 2015 and the current fees remain in effect until that review; and

(iii) That the licensing regime fees be assessed on an annual basis.