Agenda item

The Senior Licensing Officer informed the Committee of the outcome of the public consultation on the Council’s Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Principles Policy (as amended 2018) and outlined details of the development of a ‘Local Area Profile’.  Members were reminded that the Council was required to put in place a policy, known as the Statement of Principles and that there was a statutory duty to review the policy every three years. The current Statement of Principles was due to lapse on 31^st January 2019. A consultation was conducted on the draft Statement of Principles between 3^rd August 2018 and 14^th September and only two formal responses were received; which had been incorporated into the draft document.

It was brought to Members’ attention that the published Gambling  Commission Guidance to Local Authorities highlighted that licensing  authorities should also consider developing local area profiles, identifying, quantifying and mapping the vulnerabilities and other relevant features of their areas. Such profiles would be used to inform new gambling policies, against which all applications would be judged.

The Local Area Profile had been developed, details of which were outlined. It was noted that there was no statutory requirement for any consultation on or formal approval by the Licensing Committee of the ‘Local Area Profile’, as they were optional for the Licensing Authority to develop in order to be used by and assist gambling operators when developing their own Local Risk Assessments.  

Committee Members endorsed details of the Statement of Principles and noted that a Local Area Profile had been developed.

Recommended to Council – 

a)  That the Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Principles policy (as amended 2018) is adopted as the Council’s Gambling Policy.

b) To note that a Local Area Profile in assisting Operators in preparing Local Risk Assessments had been developed.