Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Stephen Booth, Akin Elekolusi, Mason Humberstone, Lin Martin-Haugh and Tom Wren.

Apologies were also received from Councillor Simon Speller, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Health and Licensing.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on 14 October 2024.

It was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on 9 October 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To consider the Council’s draft Statement of Licensing Policy, as required under the Licensing Act 2003.

The Head of Environmental Health and Licensing presented the draft Statement of Licensing Policy, which was required under Section 5 of the Licensing Act 2003. The policy, which set out the Council's approach to its regulatory duties, was due for renewal as the current policy expired in February 2025. The proposed policy covered the period from 2025 to 2030, with no significant changes in intent or direction, but minor amendments had been made.

Key updates included:

·         The policy had been reformatted to align with the Council's corporate policy template.

·         Typographical errors from the previous version had been corrected.

·         Contact details had been updated.

·         References to 'Challenge 21' had been updated to 'Challenge 25'.

The draft policy underwent a 28-day consultation, receiving two responses:

1.    The Planning Department suggested wording amendments.

2.    The Portman Group recommended the inclusion of a text regarding their regulatory work and code of practice, specifically encouraging retailers to sign up for and adhere to their retailer alert bulletins to remove irresponsible products and promotions.

While the Portman Group's recommendation for imposing conditions on premises licences regarding irresponsible alcohol promotion was not included, as it is difficult to enforce, the policy now reflected the consensus from the Hearts and Beds Licensing Group, ensuring consistency with neighbouring local authorities.

The committee was asked to approve the draft policy and recommend it to the Cabinet for further consideration.

Members commented on the Portman Group's recommendations on mandatory conditions for licensees regarding responsible alcohol sales and suggested that Stevenage could take a pioneering approach, especially considering the emphasis on responsible selling within the alcohol industry. The Head of Environmental Health and Licensing responded that while the recommendation had not been included due to enforcement challenges, the policy encouraged licensees to voluntarily engage with the Portman Group’s retailer alert bulletins. This aligned with the approach taken by the Herts and Beds Licensing Group and other neighbouring authorities, maintaining consistency across the region.

Responding to a question regarding vapes, the Head of Environmental Health and Licensing clarified that vapes were not currently covered by the Licensing Act. However, illegal sales could lead to a licence review under crime and disorder grounds, with enforcement relying on police or trading standards responsible authorities.

A member asked for clarification on public awareness of the consultation process. The Head of Environmental Health and Licensing confirmed that the consultation was publicised via social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook for the final 10 days of the 28-day consultation period. Despite those efforts, only two responses were received, from the Portman Group and the Planning Department. A full list of consultees was included in Appendix C of the report.

The Chair asked a question regarding the Council’s current position regarding the Licensing Authority’s role as a responsible authority under the Licensing Act 2003. The Head of Environmental Health and Licensing clarified that while the Licensing team currently administered licence applications and reviews, they did not act as a responsible authority, unlike Environmental Health, the Police, or Trading  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To consider the Council’s draft Statement of Licensing Principles, as required under the Gambling Act 2005.

The Acting Licensing Manager highlighted the Council's duty, under Section 349 of the Gambling Act 2005, to publish a Statement of Licensing Principles every three years. The current policy expired in March 2025, and the proposed Statement of Principles for 2025–2028 was presented, with the following key points:

The Committee heard that there were no changes to the overall intent or direction of the policy. Proposed changes were:

·         Reformatting of the policy to align with the Council’s corporate policy template.

·         Updated contact details and information about responsible authorities.

·         Future engagement with the Gambling Harms Alliance and Hertfordshire Public Health in developing the statement and local area profile.

The Acting Licensing Manager advised the Committee that the statement included a Local Area Profile highlighting areas in Stevenage where gambling-related harm could be realised. It identified the town centre, leisure park, and High Street as the primary locations for licensed gambling premises. Those areas were situated in the Bedwell Ward, which had the highest levels of deprivation in Stevenage, driven by income inequality and crime.

The Committee heard that the Licensing team actively monitored all licensed gambling premises, focussed on those in the town centre, to ensure compliance with the Gambling Commission’s operating licence conditions and social responsibility code. Currently, there was no evidence suggesting that gambling-related harms were significant in Stevenage or that the Commission's objectives were not being upheld.

The Acting Licensing Manager informed the Committee that the draft policy underwent a 28-day consultation, receiving five responses from GamCare, GambleAware, the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board, the Local Planning Authority, and Hertfordshire Public Health. All feedback was reviewed, and the relevant amendments were incorporated into the draft statement.

The Committee was asked to agree to the proposed Statement of Principles 2025–2028 and recommend its progression to Cabinet for approval.

Members commented that the areas detailed within the Local Area Profile spanned both Bedwell Ward and Old Town Ward.

Responding to a question regarding the sale of lottery tickets, the Acting Licensing Manager advised that shops selling lottery tickets were regulated under the Gambling Act, but the Council would pass any reports of sales to under-16s to the Gambling Commission, which actively followed up such intelligence through measures like test purchasing.

The Committee supported the recommendations in the report. It was therefore RESOLVED:

·         That the General Purposes Committee agrees the proposed Stevenage Borough Council Gambling Act Statement of Principles 2022-2025.

·         That the General Purposes Committee recommend the Stevenage Borough Council draft Statement of Principles to the Cabinet.

To consider any Part I business accepted by the Chair as urgent.

There was no Urgent Part I Business.

To consider the following motions –

1.     That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in paragraphs1 – 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act as amended by Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006.

2.     That Members consider the reasons for the following reports being in Part II and determine whether or not maintaining the exemption from disclosure of the information contained therein outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

Not required.

To consider any Part II business accepted by the Chair as urgent.

There was no Urgent Part II Business.