The Council’s Senior Licensing Officer
(SLO) presented a report on the draft Statement of Licensing Policy
2022-2027, that covered the licensing of alcohol, regulated
entertainment and late-night refreshment in Barking and Dagenham
which the Council was required to publish and review every five
years.
As the Licensing team’s experience of
operating the current 2017-2022 policy had not given rise to many
issues, the review was primarily intended to bring the document in
line with current law and guidance and best practice. Several new
sections had been added, dealing with:
·
Public Spaces Protection Orders, which replaced Designated Public
Protection Orders in 2017;
·
Illegal worker requirements that came into effect in 2017;
·
ACT Action Counters Terrorism awareness e-learning and;
·
The ‘Ask Angela’ campaign (the ‘Ask Angela’
codeword could be given by customers to premises staff if they felt
unsafe, for discreet assistance).
The process of reviewal required a period of
public consultation, which was due to run for a minimum of six
weeks through the late Summer and Autumn of 2021. The Council was
required by law to consult with other responsible authorities,
representatives of license holders and representatives of licensed
trades, and it was anticipated that this would be done through a
combination of online questionnaires and direct letter drops. The
consultation responses, once received, would be taken into account in developing a final draft for
the policy. The final document would then come back to the
Committee towards the end of the year, before final approval was
required by the Assembly in 2022.
In response to several questions from Members, the
SLO stated that:
- Licensees would be consulted during
the consultation process and directed to any proposed changes that
the Council had at this stage. Their views would be considered and
once the Council had an agreed final document, the Licensing team
would notify licensees of any changes that affected them. The final
document would also be published and made available for any new
applicants, or operators who wished to refresh themselves on the
Policy.
- The Licensing team would endeavour
to emphasise relevant new policy developments to individual
operators as and when they engaged with them.
- The Licensing team used the
Statement of Licensing Policy to outline its position on many
issues; however, it could not by law impose standard conditions on
licensees. It was therefore open to licensees to consider their own
business operations and needs and propose to the Licensing team,
how they would manage their premises and the conditions that they
felt were appropriate for the operations that they were running.
The Statement of Licensing Policy would act as a reference point
for licensees.
- The licensing process provided for
consultation and conciliation, and the Licensing team would use
this process to discuss any issues with the applicant. If an
agreement could not be reached, any contested points would come to
the Committee for Member decision.
- Whilst previous licensing law dealt
much more with the technical and structural details of licensed
premises, current law focused on the four Licensing Objectives.
Although ‘public safety’ was of these objectives, fire
safety was controlled under separate law. Whilst there could be
conditions that touched on fire safety, such as emergency escape
arrangements, fire safety deliberations were now dealt with under
fire safety orders; however, the Licensing team did consult the
Fire Brigade and were aware of their process around the different
premises.
- The Licensing team would take advice
from the Council’s Communications team on the timing and
publicising of the consultation. It would aim to find the most
effective means to ensure that the consultation was accessible for
all.