Agenda item

Report of the Director of Economic Growth

The Director of Economic Growth submitted a report (previously circulated) to update Members on the current position of the Licensing Act Policy Review due January 2021 in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The submitted report highlighted that it is a requirement of the Licensing Act 2005 to review every five years the Statement of Licensing Policy and this authority’s policy is due to be renewed January 2021.  It was reported that work had commenced on this review however the Covid-19 regulations had had an enormous impact on the hospitality trade, in particular with those premises licences that had been compelled to close.

It was also reported that a recent meeting of the North East Strategic Licensing Group (NESLG) had expressed its concern that due to the closure of many licensed premises and the fact that it may take many months to establish business anywhere close to what had been experienced before the Covid-19 lockdown, it would be impossible to adequately consult with an industry that has been deeply damaged.

With these concerns expressed, clarity was sought by the Local Government Association (LGA) with the Home Office on whether scheduled Licensing Act Policy Reviews could be delayed to allow for such a time that adequate consultation with the hospitality industry on the new policies could take place, which under the current circumstances was acceptable by the LGA.

RESOLVED – That this Licensing Act 2003 Committee retain the current Licensing Act Policy until April 2021 to allow sufficient consultation time with the hospitality trade and stakeholders once Covid-19 Regulations have been sufficiently relaxed.