Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors I Bastable, Mrs S M Bayford and L Keeble.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 18 September 2018.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Committee held on 18 September 2018 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

There were no Chairman’s announcements.

To receive any declarations of interest from members in accordance with Standing Orders and the Council’s Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest made at this meeting.

To receive any deputations of which notice has been lodged.

There were no deputations made at this meeting.

To receive an update from Hampshire Constabulary on Police Licensing arrangements.

The Committee received a verbal update on Police licensing arrangements from PC Jason Pearce from Hampshire Constabulary.

The update included the showing of a short video that is being rolled out to staff in licensed premises, universities and naval bases to recognise and deal with situations where people might be vulnerable after drinking alcohol and to raise awareness of how interventions can lead to better outcomes.

The Panel heard how, within the context of Fareham, the level of late night crime is much lower than in many of the surrounding areas. All town centre premises are closed by 1am and since the closure of Chicago Rock 5 years ago, there has been a 75% decrease in the level of violent crime.   Businesses making enquiries of the Police regarding the possibility of extending opening hours past 1am are advised that any extension of hours must include provision to ensure that people are safe when they leave the licenced premises and that the immediate vicinity is cleared without incident. Dedicated Welfare staff will also need to be available inside the premises during late-night opening hours to ensure the safety and welfare of customers.

The Panel also received a summary of events that were held over the last year that involved licenced activities.  Premises were generally well managed throughout the Football World Cup period over the summer with the few incidents that occurred providing useful experience to draw upon to plan for next summer’s European Cup. There are a couple of low-key festivals that are held in Fareham each year and generally these pass without any serious related incidents, however a serious incident occurred after the Jerk Jam Festival this year which has resulted in a case of stabbing and serious assault being investigated and an offender being taken into custody.

Members were advised of a number of initiatives that have been taking place to help prevent crime and disorder and protect children from harm.  These included working with higher risk licenced premises to raise awareness of knife crime, educating premises on tools that are available to help avoid knives being brought into premises, showing staff how to spot fake driving licences that can be bought very easily and cheaply on the internet and explaining to staff how ID checks can be carried out and dealt with more effectively. 

The Panel discussed the disappointing results of the recent test purchases that were carried out on licenced premises across the Borough and heard how the failures, which tended to be larger premises rather than the smaller ones, were as a result of staff multi-tasking and not having sufficient time to concentrate on personal engagement with customers.  This has been highlighted to the premises involved to ensure that staff are properly trained and are able to take more time in carrying out the relevant checks. 

RESOLVED that PC Pearce be thanked for providing a very interesting and informative update. 

To consider a report by the Head of Environmental Health on the Committee’s Work Programme for 2018/19.

The Committee considered a report by the Head of Environmental Health on the Committee’s Work Programme for 2018/19.

RESOLVED that the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Committee:

(a)  notes the progress on actions arising from the meeting of the Committee held on 18 September 2018, as shown in Appendix A to the report; and

(b)  approves the updated Work Programme for 2018/19