Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting on 3 March 2023 be approved.

There were none.

·       Disclosable Pecuniary Interests;

·       Other Interests

Mark Trillo – Executive Director (Governance & Commissioning), set out the terms of reference, role and functions of this quasi-judicial committee. An explanation was also given around the types of licences the Council issued, role of committee members, decisions taken by licencing sub-committees and shaping policies. This Committee also had responsibility for certain election functions such as polling district reviews and changes to the location of polling stations.

The following topics were suggested as future work items:-

·       Review of the House-to-House Collection Policy

·       CCTV in private hire taxis

·       Revision of the Street Trading Policy

Discussion took place around loud street preachers and buskers which caused a nuisance to businesses in Leek town centre. It was confirmed that buskers were exempt from licensing and business owners should be encouraged to officially complain to the Environmental Health Team, if they were impacted by noise nuisance.

RESOLVED: That the terms of reference and future work items be noted.

The Committee considered a report in relation to the enforcement activity undertaken within the Licensing Section. In the period February 2023 to May 2023 the Licensing service had engaged in a number of enforcement actions. These activities had involved reactive responses to complaints and intelligence received from the public and partner agencies, as well as proactive compliance checks. The Licensing Section had noted a good level of compliance overall.

In response to a query, officers provided an explanation of the reasons certain applications for road closures, temporary event notices and house-to-house collections had been rejected.

A member reported an issue with house-to-house collections being concentrated in specific areas of Leek. The Committee was advised that a review of this policy was planned to take place to seek improvements in this area of licensing.

Officers were thanked for their good working relationship with business and communities.

Members requested for brief training sessions to be scheduled to take place after formal committee meetings had concluded.

RESOLVED: That the content of the report be noted.