Agenda item
Gambling Policy 2012 -2017
Minutes:
Councillor Ohid Ahmed, Deputy Mayor, introduced, and highlighted key points, in the report including: -
· The statutory requirement for the Council to review and adopt its ‘gambling policy’ at this point.
· Stakeholder consultation undertaken to date and revision of the proposals to reflect this. Consultation with OSC under the Budget and Policy Framework contained in the Council’s Constitution, was an element of this.
· Prescriptive guidance from Government which limited the scope for changing the Policy to meet local aspirations.
Andy Bamber, Service Head Safer Communities and David Tolley, Head of Consumer and Business Regulations, were also in attendance for this item.
A discussion followed which focused on clarification being sought and given on the following points:-
· Given the number of licenced gambling outlets known to exist in the borough (mapped in the Policy documents) and the known saturation point for these, where could new outlets be permitted and what was the potential for a saturation policy. Clarified that the Council was not able to limit the number of gaming establishments under the Gambling Act, and a saturation policy was only possible in relation to licensing of premises for alcohol under the Licensing Act. Only the 3 Licensing objectives could be taken into consideration when determining an application. The Gambling Policy was not a strategic document on controlling gambling provision, but set out how applications would be dealt with.
· The London view regarding the Policy and Central Government prescriptions for the Policy. Clarified that the Council had lobbied Parliament against the lack of any powers for local councils to restrict gambling establishments.
· The number and nature of responses to consultation to date. Four of limited value, but Councillor feedback had resulted in the addition to the Policy of the Best Practice Guide.
· The concerns raised by the Licensing Committee, as part of the consultation process, which had been reflected in the proposed Policy. Consideration that future reports consulting OSC on policy framework proposals should detail any concerns raised during stakeholder consultation and how/ where these were addressed in the proposals recommended to the Mayor/ Cabinet for endorsement and onward recommendation to full Council.
· The impact of gambling on the community and in particular the linkage between gambling and domestic violence, and whether a related evidence base, perhaps provided through a scrutiny review in 2013/14, could prove valuable in assisting the Council in efforts to control the proliferation of gambling establishments. Clarified that there was an acknowledged impact on vulnerable people and a link with domestic violence and the Council aspired to identify a way to limit gambling outlets to mitigate this.
· Whether there could be increased focus on ‘self – exclusion’ mechanisms by individuals that knew they had a gambling addiction. How more responsibility could be placed on gambling outlets to identify these individuals and assist them to make an informed choice. How to prevent their movement from one outlet to another to get around this mechanism. Clarified set out in the Best Practice Guide and managed through the Safe Betting Alliance forum.
· Self-promotion by the big betting organisations as being community based and the level and calibre of the legal support available to them, and what steps the Council could take to counter this. The use of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals and the potential to limit this in the context of the Licensing objective for protection of children and vulnerable people was being examined. Spot testing of underage usage was being undertaken and health and safety/ trading standards issues were raised at the Safe Betting Alliance forum with the 5 largest betting companies. Further updates on this work considered valuable.
· The rationale for the absence within the proposed Policy of a “No Casino” statement on the part of the Council, particularly given recollection that it had issued one previously. Consideration that given the number of betting establishments in the borough and concerns around their proliferation, the Policy would be strengthened by the addition of such a statement even if it was not enforceable under current law.
The Chair Moved and it was:-
Resolved
1. The contents of the report, and proposed Gambling Policy 2012 - 2017 attached, be noted; and
2. That the advice/comments of the OSC in respect of the proposed Gambling Policy 2012 – 2017, which forms part of the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework, be presented to the Mayor in Cabinet [13 March 2013] to inform his decision making on this item of business.
Action by:
Andy Bamber (Service Head Safer Communities, CLC)
Supporting documents:
-
Gambling Report, item 7.1
PDF 98 KB
-
Appendice 1 Gambling Cabinet Report 2013 Feb 6, item 7.1
PDF 102 KB
-
Appendice 2 GamblingPolicy2012, item 7.1
PDF 243 KB
-
Appendice 3 Equality Checklist Gambling Policy v2, item 7.1
PDF 221 KB