Issue - meetings

To receive a report with a recommendation from the Licensing Committee on an amendment to the Council’s Licensing Policy and on the No Sexual Entertainment Venue Licensing Resolution.  (Report No: 143)

Council is asked to agree the changes to the policy and to adopt the No Sexual Entertainment Venue Licensing Resolution. 

Councillor Savva moved and Councillor Aksagnolu seconded the report of the Licensing Committee proposing approval of Enfield’s Licensing Act 2003 Policy and no Sexual Entertainment Venue Licensing Resolution.  (Report No:  143)

NOTED

1.            The report proposes minor changes to the Council’s policy which had been subject to public consultation as well as consultation with the police and health representatives.

2.            The changes had been approved and recommended to Council by the cross party Licensing Committee at the meeting held on 16 October 2019.

3.            The Council’s licensing objectives were the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm. 

4.            There had been no applications for sexual entertainment venues and it was proposed to extend the resolution to continue not to allow any. 

5.            Some concern from the opposition members that the consultation had been unsatisfactory, as so few responses had been received.  Concern about the licenses granted recently to large scale music festivals and the lack of reference to this in the policy.

6.            The view that Licensing was a permissive regime and the presumption had to be that licenses would be granted. It was not possible to pre-determine or prejudice an outcome.  Every application was looked at carefully and constraints and conditions applied, where necessary. 

7.            The changes to the current policy had been agreed cross party by the Licensing Committee and were non-contentious. 

8.            The Council were trying to build the night time economy and this would always be regulated through licensing conditions. 

9.            Support for the policy to limit the number of sexual entertainment licences to nil which had been developed in the 1980’s in Westminster.

10.         Support for the proposals from a public health perspective, preventing substance abuse and protecting children from harm. 

11.         Clarification from the Monitoring Officer that recommendations could be voted on separately. 

Following the debate the recommendations in the report were agreed unanimously without a vote. 

AGREED

1.            To approve the minor changes in the 6^th edition of the licensing policy Licensing Act 2003.

2.            To continue to resolve not to adopt the sexual entertainment venues licensing in Enfield, as per Annex 7 of the Licensing Policy.