The General Purposes and Licensing Committee of Bromley Council met on Tuesday 01 April 2025, approving a new Statement of Licensing Policy for 2025-2030 and recommending changes to the Council's Constitution regarding scrutiny and local plan procedures. The committee also discussed arrangements for room bookings at the new Civic Centre, deciding to defer a decision pending further investigation.

Statement of Licensing Policy 2025-2030

The committee approved the draft Statement of Licensing Policy (SLP) for 2025-2030 for submission to the full Council. This updated policy reflects the removal of Cumulative Impact Zones in Bromley and Beckenham town centres, following a statutory review that found insufficient evidence to justify their continuation. The policy also proposes reducing the quorum for Licensing Sub-Committees to two members. During the discussion, a member noted a renaming of a policy in the Bromley Local Plan and requested this be updated in the SLP, along with a check for correct terminology regarding LGBTQI+ inclusion. The Licensing Manager clarified that applicants must provide evidence of statutory consultation, such as newspaper adverts and photographs of posters, and that the consultation period would restart if requirements were not met. The committee also heard that the Licensing Act 2003 allows for licence reviews if discrepancies are found or conditions are not met. Another member, who had met separately with the Licensing Team, expressed support for the draft policy.

The committee resolved to approve the draft Statement of Licensing Policy for 2025-2030 for submission to full Council and recommended that Council amend Chapter 5 of the Constitution to confirm the quorum of the Licensing Committee as two Members.

Room Booking Arrangements at the New Civic Centre

The committee considered options for room booking arrangements at the Council's new Civic Centre, including making the Council Chamber and Committee Rooms available for hire to generate additional revenue. Members discussed a hybrid approach where Council and committee meetings, as well as those related to Council business, would be free to book, while all other meetings would incur charges. Concerns were raised about charging for ward surgeries, with one member suggesting they should remain free as an important aspect of a councillor's role. The Director of Corporate Services and Governance noted that this would primarily affect members of Bromley Town Ward and that it might not be cost-effective to open the building outside office hours for such events. Another suggestion was made for councillors to use committee rooms for community work in the same way as staff during working hours, provided it was non-political and security concerns were addressed. The cost of hiring rooms outside of hours and at weekends was also discussed, with proposals for higher charges for commercial organisations and discounts for charities or regular bookers. Members also noted that proposed hire charges did not account for room size and suggested pricing be linked to the number of attendees. The committee decided that further work was needed to explore these points, and a further report will be presented on 22 May 2025.

Constitution Working Group - Recommendations on Scrutiny

The committee received recommendations from the Constitution Working Group aimed at improving the effectiveness of the Council's scrutiny function. The Working Group supported a pilot project that would reduce the emphasis on pre-decision scrutiny and potentially decrease the number of scrutiny meetings from five to four per annum, allowing more time for policy development. The Environment and Community Services PDS Committee was proposed as the pilot committee. One member expressed support but stressed the importance of ensuring committee members remain informed of a wide range of issues. Another member voiced disappointment that only one PDS committee would participate in the pilot, questioning its effectiveness as a test, and expressed concern that reducing meetings to four per year would limit time for policy development and scrutiny. The Chairman of the Constitution Working Group explained that the proposed schedule would allow for more even spacing of meetings throughout the year and that additional meetings could be arranged if necessary, with robust monitoring and a focused report template supporting the new approach.

The committee recommended to Council that a pilot project be carried out to re-balance the Environment and Community Services PDS Committee work programme, focusing pre-decision scrutiny on selected issues to free up time for other PDS work, and that the committee's scheduled meetings be reduced to four per annum for the pilot.

Constitution Working Group - Local Plan Changes

The committee considered minor technical changes to the Constitution relating to the Borough's Local Plan, which is currently under review. These changes were deemed necessary to ensure all procedures and powers related to the Local Plan are correct and up to date.

The committee recommended that Council approve the detailed changes to Chapters 2, 3, and 5 of the Constitution concerning the Local Plan.

Work Programme and Matters Outstanding

The committee received a report outlining its work programme for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 Council years and any outstanding matters from previous meetings. The committee agreed to schedule a review of the Environment and Community Services PDS Committee pre-decision scrutiny pilot for its meeting on 9 April 2026.

The committee resolved to note the work programme and matters outstanding.

Licensing Sub-Committee Minutes

The minutes of the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting held on 16 December 2024 were received and noted by the committee.