Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Lygo, McManners, and Taylor.

None.

The Head of Community Services will submit a report which seeks the Committee’s agreement to a revised, draft,  Statement of Gambling Licensing Policy. The draft will then be the subject of a public consultation before it returns to the Committee on 19 September for final agreement.

The report will be published as a supplement to this agenda.

Recommendation: that the Licensing and Gambling Acts Committee resolves to:

Adopt the revised Statement of Gambling Licensing Policy.

The Head of Community Services had submitted a report to agree the draft Statement of Gambling Licensing Policy for subsequent consultation.

The lawyer introduced the report, explaining that the Council was obliged to publish a Statement of Gambling Licensing Policy and to keep it under review and republished at least every three years. The new policy would need to be in place by the end of January 2019. The draft was before the Committee at this early stage to give sufficient time for consultation, consideration of a post-consultation text at a future meeting of the Committee and subsequent sign off by full Council.

The revised policy took account of a number of matters, the principal one of which was a requirement for applicants to provide the Licensing Authority with a “Local Area Risk Assessment”. This should set out how they have assessed the impact of their proposals on the local area. Details of what applicants should take account of were set out in Appendix 2. To assist applicants in their assessments, the Licensing Authority will produce a “Local Area Profile”. This will be compiled through partnership work with appropriate agencies, and will take account of such things as homelessness, mental health and alcohol related matters.  The Profile would be distinct and separate from the Policy, was a work in progress and would be brought before the Committee in due course.

It was noted that the draft Policy itself had only been seen by some Members of the Committee earlier in the day. It was recognised that this was regrettable. It was emphasised that the Committee was being asked to agree a draft for the purposes of consultation and not the final version.

The consultation would be with those bodies listed in Appendix 5 of the draft policy. In discussion it was suggested that the list did not take sufficient account of some sectors and it was agreed that it should be expanded to include the Citizens’ Advice Bureaux, Gamblers Anonymous and, via Oxfordshire County Council, a means of taking account of the needs of vulnerable adults (the latter might be achieved via the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board).

The Chair told the Committee that the Chair of the Council’s Public Involvement Board (PIB) had confirmed that he was content that the consultation should proceed as proposed with no need for formal PIB consideration.

The  Committee resolved to agree:

a)         the draft Statement of Gambling Licensing Policy;

b)         that a 6 week consultation be held on the agreed draft Statement of Gambling Licensing Policy; and

c)         that any relevant responses to the consultation be reported to the next meeting of the Committee.

Recommendation: That the minutes of the meeting held on 16 May 2018 be APPROVED as a true and accurate record.

The Committee resolved to:

Approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 May 2018 as a true and accurate record.

The next meetings of the Committee are scheduled to take place on:

·         19 September 2018

·         23 January 2019

Both of which will start at 6.00 pm

The next meetings of the Committee are scheduled to take place on:

·         19 September 2018

·         23 January 2019

Both of which will start at 6.00 pm