To note any declarations of interest made by Members, including those restricting Members from voting on the questions detailed in Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act, 1992.  See attached note from the Monitoring Officer.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Committee held on 15^th July 2014 as an accurate record of the proceedings.

That the minutes of the Licensing Committee meeting held on 15^th July 2014 were confirmed and agreed as a correct record.

Mr David Tolley, Head of Consumer and Business Regulations introduced the report which detailed the review which took place with regards to licence fees that could be set locally. It was noted that the fees under consideration were those for Massage, Special Treatments and Performing Animals Registration.

Mr Tolley explained the rationale behind the proposed licence fee increases and explained that fee increases were set at values that would enable the Council to recover the administrative and enforcement cost associated with the relevant licences. 

In response to questions from Members the following was noted;

-          That where a business operated a selection of beauty treatments and intense pulse light laser treatment, only the higher fee of the two would be payable.

-          That neighbouring local authorities licence fees were taken into consideration when setting the fees. 

-          The breakdown of the hours worked by Officers in order to determine an application was noted.

-          The detailed procedures that are followed through to ensure animal welfare were noted. 

-          That the provision for sun bed treatments was covered under Intense Pulse Light Laser treatment.

Members questioned the basis for using RPI to determine the increased fee. It was AGREED that Mr Tolley would update Members on what the rationale was for using RPI when setting the fees and seek clarification on whether this would be used again when setting fees in the future.

1.         That the fee for Massage and Special Treatment licences, including Intense Pulse Light laser treatment, be increased by RPI 2.5% raising Massage and Special Treatment Licences from £311 to £319 and Intense Pulse Light laser treatment licences (including sun beds) from £500 to £513.

2.         That where a business operates a selection of beauty treatments and Intense Pulse Light laser treatment, that only the higher fee is payable.

3.         That the fee for Performing Animals registration is raised from £188 to £360, based on the calculations in Appendix One.

4.                     That a fee for a Variation of a Performing Animals registration be set at £269 based on the calculations in Appendix One.

5.         That all fees are non- refundable once an application has been submitted, due to the commencement of processing the licence.

6.         That these fees will commence on 1 November 2014 and will apply to all new and renewed licences applications and all performing animal registrations and variation applications received on or after that date.

Mr David Tolley, Head of Consumer and Business Regulations introduced the report and explained that at the Licensing Committee on 15^th July 2014, Members had requested for an update on the licences issued within the Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) to enable Members to consider the impact of the CIZ.

It was noted that on 1^st November 2013, the CIZ for the Brick Lane area came into effect after the adoption of the Statement of Licensing Policy at Full Council. It was further noted that this Policy was subject to a review in 2018 (every 5 years). Mr Tolley gave a brief background on the CIZ, its consultation process, summary of all the decisions made by the Licensing Sub Committees with regards to applications and variations within the CIZ and highlighted the comments from Responsible Authorities on the current impact on the CIZ.

After much discussion the following points were noted;

• That there was a general confusion, amongst objectors/residents and Councillors, about the powers available to the Licensing Sub Committees, when applying the Special Cumulative Impact Policy to applications.  
• That the Police were currently reviewing their Policy of objecting to all applications within the CIZ.
• That the Chair of SPIRE should be notified that Licensing Committees are public meetings and are open to all members of the public to attend and observe.
• That all Councillors be briefed on the CIZ, its impact and its remits in order to get a better understanding of the current Policy
• The benefits of having the CIZ were noted.
• That as a result of the CIZ, two applications for bars were withdrawn.
• That there has been the same level of licences issued despite the CIZ being in place.
• That as a result of the CIZ a lot more conditions had been imposed on licences, providing more control over licensed premises.
• That a standard wording on the CIZ should be included as part of the decision notification.
• That the increase in licensed premises was contributing to the increase in crime and disorder and public nuisance in the area.
• That the Council may have to review the Special Cumulative Impact Policy sooner than the 5 years due to the impact of Crossrail coming to effect from 2017 and therefore possibly look to extend the CIZ to include the Crossrail area.

Members welcomed the report and AGREED the following;

• That a further report on the CIZ be brought back to the Licensing Committee on 10 March 2015.
• That the Licensing Committee is to review the Policy again in 2015/2016 and invite the Head of Retail for Crossrail to attend the meeting.

• That the Police be invited to attend the next meeting to update Members on their approach to objecting to all applications in the CIZ.
• Legal Officers to provide a standard wording for applications within the CIZ to be used when decisions are read out at meetings.
• Inform the Chair of SPIRE that Full Licensing Committee meetings are public meetings and are open to all members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.2

Members requested that a briefing and Members Training on Sexual Entertainment Venues is to be scheduled for the next Licensing Committee meeting in December 2014, In order for Members to get a better understanding of the Policy, its remits and the challenges likely to be faced.