Agenda item

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.