Purpose

The application has been
submitted by Councillor Hoy who is the Ward Councillor.  The relevant licensing objectives are:
 

·        
The prevention of crime and disorder

·        
Public safety

·        
The prevention of public nuisance.
 
The application to review
relates to an incident that took place at the premises on 29 August
2024 between 11pm and 12 midnight.
 
The application can be found on
pages 11 to 20 of the committee bundle. The reasons for the
application to review can be found on page 15.
 
The premises licence holder is
JD Wetherspoon PLC, and the Designated Premises Supervisor is
Martin Baldwin. The licence can be found on pages 18 to 24 of the
bundle along with the condition attached to the licence.
 
We note that the review is not
supported by any of the responsible authorities.
 
Present today are:

·        
The applicant, Councillor Hoy

·        
The premises licence holder, represented by Mr Nigel
Connor

·        
Witnesses for the applicant

·        
Manager of the premises, Mr Baldwin

·        
Area Manager, Mr Mattocks.
 
We have read the papers before
us, viewed CCTV footage supplied by the premises licence holder,
and heard from both parties.
 
In brief, the applicant and
witness state in support of the representation:

·        
Persons in question felt intimidated and threatened
with violence

·        
Staff were not helpful or sympathetic to raised
concerns

·        
Staff at first did not provide a safe area to avoid
physical confrontation

·        
Staff sneered at or belittled

·        
No senior manager on duty

·        
Premises could have handled situation
differently.
 
The representative of the
Premises Licence Holder, in brief states:

·        
Long established premises

·        
Stable and experienced management team

·        
Well-developed policies adhered to on the
night

·        
No escalation, violence avoided due to manager
intervention

·        
No further incident

·        
Exit from premises supervised by staff

·        
Staff trained in dealing with vulnerable
persons

·        
No crime or breach of licensing
conditions.
 
The sub-committee has
disregarded matters that do not relate to the promotion of the
licensing objectives, and any other irrelevant matters.
 
In order to promote the
licensing objectives, the sub-committee can take the following
steps:

·        
Modify the conditions and or times of the licensable
activities

·        
Exclude a licensable activity from the scope of the
licence

·        
Remove the designated premises supervisor

·        
Suspend the licence for a period not exceeding 3
months

·        
Revoke the licence in its entirety

·        
Issue an informal warning or take no
action.
 

Content

We sympathise but note that no
criminal offence has been prosecuted and we have not heard any
information regarding a breach of a licensing condition.
 
We do not believe there is any
wider risk to members of the public.
 
We are of the opinion that
there may have been different ways in dealing with the situation
according to who was on duty that night, not necessarily the wrong
or right ways.
 
Our decision, therefore, is to
take no further action.