Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment.

Recommendation:

That Cabinet approve the draft Licensing Act Statement of Licensing Policy attached to this report as Appendix 1 for consultation in accordance with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003.

Consideration was given to the report which presented the draft Policy to Cabinet for review and approval prior to the commencement of a period of statutory consultation.

It was noted that a further report would be presented to Cabinet after the consultation had concluded for approval of the final Statement of Licensing Policy 2025.

Section 5 of the Licensing Act 2003 required the Council to publish a Statement of Licensing Policy which sets out the principles it proposes to apply in exercising functions under the Act. The Statement of Licensing Policy must be reviewed and republished at five-year intervals.

The current Statement of Licensing Policy was published in 2020, and therefore was due for the five-year review. The Cumulative Impact Policy was reviewed in 2023 and was therefore not due for further review until 2026.

The Council’s Licensing Service had carried out informal consultation with partners, local licence holders and members of the public to identify areas within the current Policy that would benefit from development. Feedback was used to formulate an ambitious draft Policy that was considered to strike an appropriate balance between the need to promote a thriving licensed trade within the Borough whilst ensuring that any negative impacts of licensable activity were kept to an absolute minimum.

The Assistant Director, Community Safety and Street Scene emphasised that the report and draft policy really sought to recognise the importance of a thriving and well-managed evening economy for Rotherham’s communities, patrons and employees alike. The draft policy covered late night refreshment, regulated entertainment and the sale of alcohol and affected in excess of 850 premises licensed across the borough and underlined its impact on how those businesses operated moving forwards.

The OSMB Chair advised that the policy was well received by scrutiny. Notably, a question was raised regarding consultation with current licensees in resect of proposed changes and the provision of updates and training to enable continued compliant trading practices.

There were also discussions with regards to temporary license applications and the circumstances in which these were or were not necessary.  It was also noted that additional training for elected members to generate broader awareness and understanding of the Licensing Act and its local application.

It was confirmed that OSMB supported the recommendations in the report.

Resolved:

That Cabinet approved the draft Licensing Act Statement of Licensing Policy at Appendix 1 of the report for consultation in accordance with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003.