Agenda item

The Licensing and Community Safety Manager will provide Members with a verbal update on progress of matters raised at the meeting of the Committee on 14 October 2024.

The Licensing and Community Safety Manager provided Members with a verbal update on progress of matters raised at the meeting of the Committee on 14 October 2024.

Audio Recording – 2 minutes 11 Seconds

The Licensing and Community Safety Manager provided Members with a verbal update on progress of matters raised at the meeting of the Committee on 14 October 2024, including the following points:

·       The fees costing exercise was nearing completion and fees would be set from the 1 April 2025 based on full cost recovery.

·       All except 3 of the cats held by the Cat Survival Trust in Codicote had been successfully rehomed thanks to the work of Officer. The remaining 3 cats were euthanised due to ill health.

·       The Violence Against Women and Girls Charter had been made live in Hitchin, with a low uptake. A Licencing Officer would be following up with licensed premises to increase sign up in Hitchin, before the Charter was rolled out in Baldock and Letchworth.  

·       All recommendations relating to the HMO audit had been completed and around 50 HMOs had been identified, which were unknow. to the Council, as part of this work.

·       Scrap metal sites had all been inspected and this would conducted annually, unannounced to ensure standards stay high. There were heat sensors on CCTV at one sight and other measures for prevention were noticed.

·       An in person Licencing Sub-Committee hearing took place on 17 February 2025 and there was another one due to take place, in person, on 13 March 2025.

·       There had been one further refusal for a taxi licence since the previous meeting of this Committee, and it was expected there also would be a further refusal within the next few weeks.

·       The Licence Act Policy was due for review, as this was a statutory requirement to be regularly updated, and the deadline for this was January 2026. Consultation would be take place in Summer 2025 and Members were encouraged to email Licensing and Community Safety Manager with any ideas.

N.B. During this item, Councillor Nigel Mason left the Chamber and returned at 19.56.

As part of the update, follow a request at the previous meeting of the Committee, the Chair advised he had written to the Deputy Prime Minister regarding fees and would share the response with the Committee once one had been received.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Tim Johnson

·       Councillor Stewart Willoughby

·       Councillor Keith Hoskins

·       Councillor Bryony May

·       Councillor Ian Albert

·       Councillor Ruth Brown

·       Councillor Tom Tyson

In response to questions the Licensing and Community Safety Manager advised that:

·       Following the decision made by a Licensing Sub-Committee an applicant has 21 days from the day the Decision Notice was issued to appeal the decision.

·       When a Licensing Sub-Committee was hearing a variation, the Committee cannot address parts of the Licence that were not included as part of the variation application.

·       Any licensing policy of the Council would apply at the time a Licence was applied for. Licenses would not be reviewed when policy changed, as the legislation does not allow for that.

·       A license can be bought for review if it did not promote the licensing objectives of the Council.