The Licensing Committee (Alcohol and Gambling) of Melton Borough Council met on Tuesday 15 September 2026 to review the licensing performance report for the 2025-2026 financial year. The committee noted the information presented in the report, which detailed the work of the licensing team in processing various licences and registrations, as well as enforcement activities.

Licensing Performance Report 2025-2026

The committee received a comprehensive report detailing the performance of the Licensing Team for the financial year 2025-2026. Joanne Belcher, Environmental Health and Licensing Manager, presented the report, which covered the processing of licences and registrations under the Licensing Act and the Gambling Act. The report highlighted that the team dealt with a total of 466 licences and registrations during the period.

The report outlined the licensing objectives, which for alcohol and entertainment licensing include preventing crime and disorder, promoting public safety, preventing public nuisance, and protecting children from harm. For gambling licensing, the objectives are to prevent gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, to ensure it is conducted fairly and openly, and to protect children and vulnerable people.

Key figures presented included:

• Personal Alcohol Licence Applications: 34 received, with processing times significantly improved compared to previous years.
• Premises Alcohol Licence Applications: 117 received, which included new premises and licence transfers.
• Temporary Event Notices (TENs): 173 received, a figure that has remained relatively stable since COVID-19. Of these, two were rejected and two were withdrawn, primarily due to representations from environmental health or the police, or exceeding occupancy limits.
• Late Temporary Event Notices: 58 received, where applications were submitted less than 10 working days before the event. Five of these were rejected and two were withdrawn, again due to representations or insufficient notice.
• Society Lottery Registration Applications: 60 received, with processing times reduced to less than one day on average.
• Miscellaneous Licensing: 15 new gaming machine notifications, two notices of intention, three certificates of registration for occasional use notices, and four occasional use notices were processed.

The report also detailed enforcement activities, including 14 complaints investigated concerning alcohol and gambling. Close working relationships with police licensing colleagues led to joint visits, one of which resulted in a formal interview under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) and an advisory letter. A joint night-time licensing compliance exercise with the police visited 12 licensed premises, finding overall good compliance, although some premises had paperwork deficiencies. Two complaints regarding gambling and gaming premises resulted in visits and follow-up letters.

The committee was also informed about the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meetings, which are chaired by the council and involve partners such as the police, fire and rescue services, highways, and the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS). These groups discuss safety for larger events, including a debrief for the Forbidden Forest Music Festival.

Looking ahead, the report mentioned the upcoming implementation of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly known as Martyn's Law, which aims to enhance public protection from terrorism and will come into force in 2027. The Safety Advisory Group has been considering security and counter-terrorism as part of its agenda for several years.

During the discussion, Councillor Sharon Butcher declared an interest in the 1940s weekend due to her attendance at SAG meetings. She inquired about the frequency of compliance exercises. Jo Belcher explained that while one exercise had been completed and another was planned, the team aimed to conduct more regular exercises, working with the police to target both the town and surrounding villages. Councillor Marilyn Gordon asked about support for individuals with alcohol or gambling problems, and it was clarified that while the licensing team consults with support agencies when developing policies, they are not the direct providers of such support and would signpost individuals to appropriate organisations. Councillor Gordon also enquired about the nature of complaints received regarding gambling premises, which included issues like in-house bingo with prize funds and raffles conducted on social media platforms.

The committee noted the information presented in the report.

Urgent Business

Councillor Sharon Butcher raised the matter of the bus, indicating that it had been discussed earlier in the evening and would be dealt with. No further details were provided in the transcript regarding this item.

The meeting concluded at 7:50 pm.