Agenda and minutes

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The Chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual, or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred to the filming of meetings and this information was noted.  

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were none.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Business. (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with under item 7 below).

There was no urgent business.  

There were no declarations of interest.  

The Committee will first hear from the Licensing Officer.  After that, the objectors will present their case and the Committee and applicant will have the opportunity to ask questions. Then, the applicant will present their application and the Committee and objectors will have the opportunity to ask questions. 

All parties will then have the opportunity to sum up, and then the meeting will conclude to allow the Committee to deliberate and reach a decision. This decision will then be provided in writing within five working days of this meeting.

The Chair provided a summary of the procedure for the meeting.  

To consider an application for a variation of a betting premises licence for an adult gaming centre.

Presentation by the Licensing Officer

Ms Daliah Barrett, Licensing Team Leader, informed the Sub-Committee that:

•     The principles to be applied was the prevention of gambling from being a source of crime and disorder, being associated with crime and disorder, ensuring that gambling was conducted in a fair and open way and protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

•     The applicant was seeking a 24-hour licence for an existing adult gaming centre.

•     The current hours of operation were 09:00 - 00:00 Monday to Saturday (23:00 until Sunday).

•     The premises was located amongst a parade of shops. There were three betting shops nearby and another adult gaming centre which operated on a 24-hour basis and had been licensed under the previous licensing regime.

•     The location of the premises was in a busy area and had antisocial behaviour, street drinking and drug taking place in the area.

•     The ward had been identified as an area with a community at risk from gambling harm within the Council's own local area profile.

•     An adult gaming centre licence may make available for use a number of category B machines is not exceeding 20% of the total number of gaming machines that were available at the premises and any number of category C or D machines. Category B machines should be restricted to subcategory B3 or B4 machines but not the B3A machines.

•     Relevant representations had been received on this application from residents and from responsible authorities.

•     An interested party was defined in the Gambling Act as someone who lived sufficiently close to the premises and to be likely to be affected by the authorised activities, or had business interests that might be affected by the authorised activities, or they were representing persons in either of the two groups.

•     The objections considered the objective of the prevention of preventing gambling from being a source of crime and disorder or being associated with crime and disorder or being used as to support crime and protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

•     It was notable that the Gambling Commission's guidance, particularly paragraph 5.31, noted that the Licensing Authority should not turn down applications for premises licences where relevant objections could be dealt with through the use of conditions in determining the applications for premises licences and permits and that a Licensing Authority may request as much information as it required to satisfy the requirements set out.

•     At 5.3 of the Gambling Commission's Guidance, it stated that the Licensing Authority should be aware that other considerations such as moral or ethical objections to gambling were not a valid reason to reject applications for premises licences in deciding to reject an application.

•      In deciding to refuse an application the Licensing Authority should rely on reasons that demonstrate that the licensing objectives were not being met or were not likely to be met.

Presentation by the applicant  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider any items of urgent business as identified at item 3.

There were none.