Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to consult the Licensing Committee on the draft 

Statement of Gambling Policy 2025- 2028 and the draft Local Area Profile.

Ms Daliah Barrett, Licensing Team Leader, introduced the report.

The meeting heard:

·      Haringey already had a policy about what it allowed to be advertised and promoted on Haringey streets. The Council did not allow payday loan adverts, smoking and gambling. In the incident that that took place, it was a matter of getting in touch with the head office and informing them that they could not have staff outside handing out leaflets and enticing people to come into the premises. This was why it had been addressed in the policy. Should a new application for a premises be made, this would be added as a standard condition.

·      That gambling could be used for money laundering had been factored into the strategy. However, like many local authorities, the Council did not have the resources and the means to actually delve into this as an authority. For this particular objective, the Council would attend the premises with the Gambling Commission who did have more significant resources to carry out checks to the systems (such as betting systems) and would be better placed to a to detect any kind of money laundering.

·      There was a mechanism for the Licensing Authority to ensure that operators were following through with measures to protect vulnerable people. The Council did an annual inspection of the betting operators in the borough. Aside from this, the codes of practice which were put in place by the Gambling Commission was something that betting operators had to adhere to. Operators would send through their means of operation, what the staff was required to do, the engagement that staff was required to do on site with patrons as they came in and ask questions that they were required to ask relating to patron affordability and general welfare. Staff also needed to be more visible around enabling the customer to self-exclude. Now with the increased conditions, this should, in theory, be better managed.

·      If an application was allocated in a councillor’s ward, that councillor was not able to sit at the Licensing Sub-Committee hearing as per the policy at the Council. However, the councillor could submit a representation regarding the application.

·      On page 26 of the agenda papers, paragraph 3.6 discussed death by suicide and the paragraph would need redrafting.

·      On page 39 of the agenda papers, paragraph 3.18 stated that east of the borough compared poorly with the west and this paragraph should be adjusted.

·      When inspections took place, premises were inspected to ensure that they were abiding by the conditions and the Gambling Commission's code of practice. The questions asked tested the knowledge and practice of the licence holder’s understanding. Observations were made on how they interacted with the patrons coming in as well. On the whole, inspections had been fine. None had to be referred back to the Gambling Commission.

·      One of the changes being made by the Gambling Commission was that there would be an increase of availability of gaming machines in the adult gaming centres. It was not clear when this would take place. Betting shops had slowed down. Betting shops in the borough had been closing in the last three or four years. It was possible to condition them around needing SIA staff. They had standard operating hours.  There had been success with the adult gaming centres which normally would operate on a 24-hour basis. Using the guidance from the local area local area profiles, it had been possible to make the argument for reduced hours recent applications. The typical terminal operating hour was 23:00.  This also meant that the premises would typically stay open for six months to a year before submitting a planning application to increase operating hours.

·      Page 68 of the agenda papers was up to date but it was not clear if the table was required on the document.

·      In relation to Paragraph 9.4 on page 65 of the agenda papers, some of the maps had been updated, whereas the deprivation indices ones were still the 2019 ones which had the old wards on it.

·      According to the information that was held by the Public Health team, at section 9.4 on page 65 of the agenda papers, the wards listed were the ones thought to needed to be listed as vulnerable. This was particularly for the need of the betting operator as they would need to come up with a more robust plan.

·      The Chair of the Licensing Committee (in liaison with the relevant Cabinet member) could write to the government expressing concerns regarding the need for a cumulative impact policy. The relevant Cabinet Member could write to the Government to raise the issues.

·      The comment referring to the Regulatory Committee on page 27 of the agenda papers needed to be replaced.

·      Page 47 of the agenda papers, paragraph 3.89 appeared to have an incomplete sentence. 

RESOLVED:

1.      That the Chair of the Licensing Committee (in liaison with the relevant Cabinet member) write to the government expressing the need for a cumulative impact policy.

2.      To note that, following consultation, a further report would be presented to Cabinet to recommend the Statement of Gambling Policy to Full Council for final adoption.