Agenda and minutes

Councillor Boast, Chairman, welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from:

(a)            Councillors Heathwood, Costello, Constantinides and Pearce (clash of meetings);

(b)            Councillors Bond, Egan, Hayward and Mattingly (unwell);

(c )            Councillors Charalambous, Dreblow and T Smith.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Giladi.

Members of the Council are invited to identify any personal or prejudicial interests relevant to items on the agenda.  A definition of personal and prejudicial interests has been attached for members’ information.            Attached as A

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive and confirm the minutes of the last meeting held on Monday 30 January 2006.            Attached as B

RECEIVED the Minutes of the meeting that took place on 30 January 2006.

NOTED that the membership for Licensing Committee had changed prior to the meeting and that this had not been reflected on the agenda or within the Minutes.  Therefore Councillor Costello should be read as a member of the Committee in place of Councillor Buckland and that Councillor Costello had given apologies for absence from that meeting.

RESOLVED that subject to the above, the Minutes of the meeting be agreed as a correct record.

To receive a report from the Director of Environment & Street Scene providing a monitoring update on the number and impact of Premises Licences issued under the Licensing Act 2003.            (Report No.328)

Please note Appendix A of the above report has been provided in colour only for members of the Committee.

RECEIVED the report of the Director of Environment Street Scene and Parks (No. 328) and two tabled maps depicting (a) hotspots of all off licence premises in Enfield; and (b) a replacement map of page 18 of the agenda.

NOTED that

1.         There needed to be further investigation and analysis in respect of crime and disorder figures and whether these have been affected by the extension in licensing hours.

2.         The Chairman’s comment that any instances of complaint would not fall within the remit of the Licensing Committee.

3.         Only 28% of premises applied to vary their licence (including new applications for premises).

4.         The statistics in Figure 6, Appendix A whereby 31% of licensed premises were closed by 2300 hours, 57% by 0000 hours and the vast majority of premises (91%) were closed by 0100 hours.  Just 2% of premises were licensed to open 24 hours.

5.         The Licensed Premises Comparisons 2004/2005 (page 30) would need further analysis once the data had been completed.  Again, the Chairman commented that the information would be of interest but that any decision as an outcome would not fall within the remit of the Licensing Committee.

6.         In respect of Appendix B, information on the appeals lodged against the Licensing Committee’s decisions, there were a number of appeal withdrawals.  Sue McDaid reported on the meetings that were taking place with residents regarding appeals and processes in respect of those cases that were going ahead.  Five appeals had already been heard, with six outstanding.

RESOLVED that

(1)       The contents of the report be noted; and

(2)       The report would be submitted to the Planning Committee to provide information regarding licensed premises as required by the guidance issued under Section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003.

TO CONSIDER PASSING A RESOLUTION UNDER SECTION 100A(4) OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972, EXCLUDING THE PRESS AND PUBLIC FROM THE MEETING FOR ANY ITEMS OF BUSINESS LISTED ON PART 2 OF THE AGENDA ON THE GROUNDS THAT THEY INVOLVE THE LIKELY DISCLOSURE OF EXEMPT INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN THOSE PARAGRAPHS OF PART 1 OF SCHEDULE 12A TO THE ACT, AS ARE LISTED ON THE AGENDA

(Please note there are no items due to be considered in Part 2 of the agenda unless any item is transferred from Part 1)

NOTED that no items were considered under this item