None.

The Deputy Chief Executive for City and Citizens’ Services has submitted a report to seek agreement of the licence fees for 2025/26 where the Council has discretion over the level of fee charged.

Recommendation(s): That the Licensing & Gambling Acts Committee resolves to:

1.    Agree the licence fees and charges for 2025/26 as set out in the Appendix 1 and recommend it for Council to adopt.

Katie Thorp, the Supervising Senior Licensing Officer, and Joshua Curnow, the General Licensing Team Manager, were present throughout the meeting to present the report and respond to questions.  

The Deputy Chief Executive for City and Citizens’ Services had submitted a report to seek agreement of the licence fees for 2025/26 where the Council has discretion over the level of fee charged. 

The Supervising Senior Licensing Officer presented the report which sought the Committee’s agreement for the fees and charges for the 2025/26 financial year. It was explained that all fees under the licensing act are set by statue and cannot be amended, whilst fees under the gambling act are either set by statue and unavailable for amendment or set to the statutory maximum. The report proposes no substantial changes to current fees and charges in efforts to ensure financial stability in the current economic climate for license holders. The only changes proposed fall within miscellaneous charges, found in paragraph 6 of the report. 

Councillor Sandelson and Councillors Jupp joined the meeting. 

Councillor Ottino queried whether financial loss will be made if charges are not being raised to which the General Licensing Team Manager outlined that most fees are set in statute and therefore the Licensing Authority cannot increase them. In regards a loss, efforts will be made to reduce or amend discretionary activities in order to ensure costs do not significantly exceed the money available.  

Councillor Mundy joined the meeting.  

Councillor Upton thanked officers for the clear report and noted curiosity regarding the charge for films requiring certification per 15 minutes. She sought clarity on how this charge works for cinemas to which the General Licensing Team Manager explained that the charge is dictated by the amount of officer time taken to watch and classify the film. The Committee also heard that this applies only to films shown locally which have not sought a national BBFC classification, for example independent films.  

The Committee resolved to: 

• Agree the licence fees and charges for 2025/26 as set out in Appendix 1 and recommended it for Council to adopt. 

The Deputy Chief Executive for City and Citizens’ Services has submitted a report to Present the consultation requirement in respect of the three-yearly review of the Cumulative Impact Assessment.

Recommendation(s): That the Licensing and Gambling Acts Committee resolves to:

1.    Note the consultation process and instruct officers to proceed with the same.

The Deputy Chief Executive for City and Citizens’ Services had submitted a report to present the consultation requirement in respect of the three-yearly review of the Cumulative Impact Assessment. 

The Supervising Senior Licensing Officer presented the report, explaining that it presents the consultation requirement for the 3-yearly review of the cumulative impact assessment which is a tool used when considering adoption of the special saturation policy. It was explained to the Committee that the Council are required, before the end of each period, to consider whether the opinion within the previous report remains valid for the next period. This is to decide whether the number of licenced premises and club premises do or do not have a cumulative impact on the local area. A consultation will be conducted, and responses will be presented to the Committee in a future report to enable consideration of the opinion in the current Cumulative Impact Assessment.  

Councillor Clarkson queried whether data from the NHS and police would be utilised, as was the case in the 2020 report. The Supervising Senior Licensing Officer confirmed that both are consultees for the report and would be contacted for input. 

In response to a query on timing, Councillor Ottino was assured by the Supervising Senior Licensing Officer that the results of the 8-week consultation would be returned to the committee via a report for decision.  

Councillor Mundy welcomed the reduction in statistics within the report and requested further information regarding police input and resourcing in relation to the reduced number of licensed premises and their input into the cumulative impact assessment. The General Licensing Team Manager explained that it was not possible to comment on the condition of police resources and pressures or the representations they may make during the consultation period. Instead, he noted that the purpose of the report is to assess raw data from as many sources as possible to inform the special saturation policy. 

Councillor Muddiman referred to page 26, section 5, and queried the increase in public order incidents in Jericho and Osney from 2018 to 2021, requesting any information on this. The Supervising Senior Licensing Officer explained that this information would have to be requested from the police directly. 

Councillor Clarkson commented that matters relating to police resourcing should not be taken into account when licensing decisions are considered by the Council.  

Councillor Ottino sought clarity on whether the consultation would be based on the same geographical areas as previously included, noting the previous exclusion of the Westgate Centre. The Chair echoed this and asked to what extent other areas can be included. The Supervising Senior Licensing Officer noted that the assessment area can be altered and will be informed by data availability.  

Councillor Morris noted that police crime statistics are often unreliable and recommended that other data sources, such as victim surveys, could be drawn upon. The General Licensing Team Manager welcomed this, provided data is available and requested any recommendations on organisations which could be approached.  

Councillor Muddiman sought more  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

Recommendation: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 23 September 2024 as a true and accurate record.

Councillor Lygo requested that his apologies from the last meeting be formally noted as a correction. 

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 23 September 2024 as a true and accurate record.  

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on:

·       21 May 2025

·       22 September 2025

The Committee noted the dates and times of future meetings.