Issue - meetings

At its meeting on 6 October 2022 the Licensing Committee considered the Council’s Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005 and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that  the draft revised Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act, attached at Appendix B to the report, be ADOPTED, subject to the correction of minor typographical errors; and it be AGREED that the Council continues to adopt a “no casino resolution” for inclusion in the published Gambling Act 2005 Licensing Policy Statement.

NB: The revised Statement of Principles is attached.

51.4           At its meeting on 6 October 2022, the Licensing Committee had considered the Council’s Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005 and recommended that the draft revised Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act be adopted, subject to the correction of minor typographical errors, and that it be agreed that the Council continues to adopt a “no casino resolution” for inclusion in the published Gambling Act 2005 Licensing Policy Statement. 

51.5           The report which was considered by the Licensing Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 132-182 and this included the revised policy.

51.6           The Chair of the Licensing Committee proposed the recommendation of the Licensing Committee and it was seconded by the Vice-Chair.

51.7           A Member questioned why the Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act went up to 2025 when the Statement of Licensing Policy went to 2027. In response she was advised that these were in accordance with statutory review timescales.

51.8           Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          1. That the draft revised Statement of Principles under the                                     Gambling Act be ADOPTED, subject to the correction of                                         minor typographical errors.

                        2. That it be AGREED that the Council continues to adopt a ‘no                             casino resolution’ for inclusion in the published Gambling Act                                  2005 Licensing Policy Statement.  

To consider the draft revised Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005, as set out at Appendix B to the report, and to recommend to Council it be adopted and that the Council continues to adopt a “no- casino resolution” for inclusion in the published Gambling Act 2005 Licensing Policy Statement.

22.1          The report of the Licensing Operations and Development Team Leader, circulated at Pages No. 112-162, asked Members to recommend to Council that the revised Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005, attached at Appendix B to the report, be adopted and that the Council continue to adopt a “no-casino resolution” for inclusion in the published Statement.

22.2          The Licensing Operations and Development Team Leader advised that the Gambling Act 2005 required licensing authorities to review and publish a Statement of Principles every three years.  Tewkesbury Borough Council’s current Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005 had expired on 30 January 2022 and a review had been delayed due to staff resources.  A draft revised Statement of Principles had been considered by the Licensing Committee at its meeting on 9 June 2022 where it was approved for a 12 week consultation.  One comment had been received from Tewkesbury Town Council, attached at Appendix C to the report, around the borough-wide population figure being out of date and the Licensing Operations and Development Team Leader confirmed this had been updated in the draft document. 

22.3          A Member asked whether there had been any substantial changes to the document and was informed that nothing had changed in policy terms but it had been updated to reflect new guidance for local authorities published by the Gambling Commission around local area profile assessment.  Another Member noted there were some sections of text within the document currently marked with xxx where dates needed to be included, for instance, Page No. 136, Paragraph 3 of the report.  The Legal Adviser clarified that these related to dates when the policy would take effect, i.e. the date it was adopted by Council, and therefore could not be completed until that time.  The Member went on to point out that he had identified a number of other minor typographical errors and the Licensing Operations and Development Team Leader indicated that, as with the previous Agenda item, she would be happy to speak to the Member following the meeting to make those amendments if the Committee was minded to agree that.

22.4          A Member asked if those impacted would be made aware of the revised policy following adoption by Council and the Licensing Operations and Development Team Leader explained that the Council’s website would be updated and correspondence would be sent to licensed premises within the borough to let them know.  In response to a query as to how online gambling was regulated, Members were advised that responsibility fell to the Gambling Commission; there was currently a review around online gambling as it had been recognised as a significant problem in the UK. 

22.5          A Member recognised that an awful lot of work had gone into reviewing both the Statement of Principles and the Statement of Licensing Policy.  The Chair asked that the Committee’s thanks to the Licensing Operations and Development Team Leader and her team be put on record.

22.6          It was

RESOLVED           That it be RECOMMENDED  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22