Licensing Committee – 19 May 2009

Chair: Councillor Barkworth
Venue: Function Room 1, Pittwood House, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe
Time: 10am

AGENDA

  1. Substitutions.
  2. Declarations of Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests or Significant Contact with Applicants, Objectors or Third Parties (lobbying) if any.
  3. To take the minutes of the meeting of this committee held on 11 March 2009, as a correct record and authorise the Chair to sign.
  4. Sub-Committee Proceedings – To receive and where necessary confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing (Miscellaneous) Sub-Committee held on the 26 March 2009.
  5. Sub-Committee Proceedings – To receive and where necessary confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing (Activities) Sub-Committee held on 27 April 2009 and 6 May 2009.
  6. Licensing Policy Hackney Carriage and Private Hire – Report of the Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment.
    1. Draft Report
    2. Notes from the Working Groups
    3. Other comments
  • Animal Welfare Charter 2009 – Report of the Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment.

7.  Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963 – Implementation of a Licence for Home Boarding of Dogs – Report of the Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment.

  • Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 – Street Trading and Collections Policy – Report of the Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment.

8.  Street Trading and Collections Policy

  • Appeals Submitted to the Magistrates’ Court.
  • Any other items which the Chair decides are urgent by reason of special circumstances which must be specified.

MINUTES

PRESENT:  Councillor Barkworth in the chair.

Councillors Swift (vice-chair), Armitage, Bainbridge, Carlile, Clark, Eckhardt, Ellerby, L Foster, Poole, C Sherwood, N Sherwood, Smith, Wardle and Wells.

Councillors Simpson, Whiteley and Wilson attended the meeting in accordance with Procedure Rule 37(b).

The committee met at Pittwood House, Scunthorpe.

771  DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL OR PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS AND SIGNIFICANT CONTACT WITH APPLICANTS, OBJECTORS OR THIRD PARTIES (LOBBYING) – The following members declared personal interests –

Member Minute Number Nature of Interest
Councillor Ali 775 License Holder
Councillor Davison 775 Family Member is a License Holder
Councillor Wells 775 Friend of delegate named within the consultation papers

 

772  MINUTES – Resolved – That the minutes of the proceedings of this committee held on 11 March 2009, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and signed by the chair.

773  SUB-COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGSResolved – That the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing (Miscellaneous) Sub-Committee held on 26 March 2009 be received.

774  SUB-COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGSResolved – That the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing (Activities) Sub-Committee held on 27 April 2009 and 6 May 2009 be received.

Councillor Ali, having previously declared a personal and prejudicial interest in this item, left the meeting at this point.

775  (1)  LICENSING POLICY HACKNEY CARRIAGE AND PRIVATE HIRE – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report which outlined proposed changes to the above policy following the required public consultation process.

Members engaged in discussion with the Service Director and obtained further clarification over the introduction of the knowledge test, how this would impact upon the length of the license issued, the consultation process that had taken place and how the introduction of a common livery had been disputed, and what subsequent decisions had been made following this.

Further amendments to the policy document were suggested by the Committee.

Recommended to Council – (a) That the initial proposed changes and further suggested changes made by the Licensing Committee be included in the policy document, and (b) that the policy document be approved and adopted as soon as possible to ensure almost immediate implementation.

Councillor Ali returned to the meeting.

776  (2)  ANIMAL WELFARE CHARTER 2009 – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report which outlined the following objectives:-

  • To review the Animal Welfare Charter adopted in 1996.
  • To update the Charter, making sure it was fit for purpose in line with the changes to animal welfare legislation.

Resolved – That the proposed review of the Animal Welfare Charter be approved.

777  (3) ANIMAL BOARDING ESTABLISHMENTS ACT 1963 – IMPLEMENTATION OF A LICENCE FOR HOME BOARDING OF DOGS – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report which outlined the following objectives:-

  • To consider the conditions for the Home Boarding of dogs following the consultation.
  • To agree the amended conditions for the Home Boarding of Dogs Licence and to submit to the Licensing Committee for approval.

Resolved – That the licensing of Home Boarding of Dogs, the proposed fee and draft conditions be approved.

778  (4)  LOCAL GOVERNMENT (MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS) ACT 1982 – STREET TRADING AND COLLECTIONS POLICY – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report which outlined the following objectives:-

  • To consider amending the existing Street Trading and Collections Policy for North Lincolnshire
  • To agree to amend the existing policy and refer it to the Licensing Committee for approval, prior to consideration by Council.

Members engaged in discussions over what impact this would have on businesses within town centres, whether this would encourage diversity and also what impact this would have on the number of vacant shops.  The panel was advised that the policy did not apply to food vendors.

Resolved – That the policy be approved for consultation.

779  APPEALS SUBMITTED TO THE MAGISTRATES COURT – The Service Director Legal and Democratic informed the meeting that no decisions of the council’s Licensing Committee, Licensing (Miscellaneous) Sub-Committee or Licensing (Activities) Sub-Committee had been appealed to the Magistrates Court, since the last meeting of the committee on 11 March 2009.

Resolved – That the position be noted.

780  (5) BEST BAR NONE FOR NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report, which the chair decided to accept as an urgent item to enable consultation to be carried out before the next meeting of the Committee.  The report outlined the following objectives:-

  • To introduce the Best Bar None scheme to members of the Licensing Committee.
  • To consider proposals for the adaptation of the scheme for introduction in the area.

The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment provided the Committee with an overview of the scheme, explaining that this was a national initiative to recognise best practise within the Licensed Trade.  Members engaged in discussions as to how the scheme worked, the partnership involvement and the accreditation system.

It was agreed that the scheme within North Lincolnshire would benefit from an alternative name and this was noted as a future consideration.

Resolved – That the proposed scheme be approved.