Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Environment.

The report of the Assistant Director Environment was submitted setting out the City Council’s proposed Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Licensing Policy. Local Authorities were required to develop and adopt a Gambling Policy in consultation with the trade and local community and to set out the authority’s general approach to gambling licence applications. It was necessary to review the policy every three years and the City Council was required to review its Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Licensing Policy by 31 January 2016.

Members were advised that the policy reflected areas of deprivation in the city. In response to Members’ questions he clarified that, when determining an application for a gambling premises, the Council would need to have regard to local area profiles which could include being in an area of deprivation.

Members welcomed the revised policy and that reference within the Local Area Profiles would now include areas of deprivation.

RECOMMENDED that Council adopts the revised Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Licensing.

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Environment.

The Environmental Health and Licensing Manager presented the report setting out the City Council’s proposed Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Licensing Policy.

Local Authorities were required to develop and adopt a Gambling Policy in consultation with the trade and local community and to set out the authority’s general approach to gambling licence applications. It was necessary to review the policy every three years and the City Council was required to review its Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Licensing Policy by 31 January 2016.

The statement appended to the report has been updated to reflect updates and re-wordings in the Gambling Commission’s Guidance to Licensing Authority.

It was noted that the only respondees had been the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and Coral and that Section 2 of the policy had been changed to reflect areas of deprivation in the city, of which there were six that fell within the top 20% of deprived areas within England, with two falling into the top 10%. The revised policy made reference to Local Area Profiles which build up a picture of localities and, in particular, elements that could be impacted by gambling premises and the National Centre for Social Research British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010 stated that high-time/high-spend gamblers, like high-time only gamblers, displayed the most adverse socio-economic profile. They were more likely to live in areas of greatest deprivation, live in low income households and be unemployed.

RECOMMENDED that:-

(1)        the Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Licensing Policy be supported in order that it can be progressed through to Council for adoption on 15 December 2015 in order for implementation to take place on 31 January 2016; and

(2)        Executive be requested to support, and recommend that Council formally adopt, the revised Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Licensing Policy.