The Licensing Sub-Committee of Ealing Council met on 6 August 2025 to consider a review application for a premises licence. The meeting was scheduled to cover apologies, declarations of interest, and a review application for Discount Food & Wine. The Sub-Committee was also scheduled to review the Panel Procedure Guidance Note.

Review Application for Discount Food & Wine

The primary item for consideration was an application to review the premises licence for Discount Food & Wine located at 18 Mandeville Road, Northolt, UB5 5BJ. The application for review was submitted by the Licensing Authority's Enforcement and Compliance Team. The report pack outlined several options for the committee to consider:

• Modifying the licence conditions, including adding, altering, or removing existing conditions.
• Excluding a licensable activity from the licence.
• Suspending the licence for a period of up to three months.
• Revoking the licence.
• Leaving the licence as it is.

The application was prompted by an incident on 26 February 2025, during which a 14-year-old volunteer working with Ealing Trading Standards was able to purchase alcohol at the store without being asked for identification. According to the statement of Robert Dear, Licensing Compliance & Enforcement Officer, the volunteer selected a can of Budweiser, and the male behind the counter did not ask the underage volunteer for ID or their age, just told the volunteer the price.

Following the test purchase, officers entered the premises and spoke to the shop assistant, who stated that he sold because the age is 16 yrs . The report pack states that the shop assistant was unable to produce identification or confirm that he had received any licensing training.

A subsequent inspection of the premises revealed 232 non-compliant vapes and a black rucksack containing a passport, a cannabis grinder, and a packet of NDP cigarettes¹.

The report pack also references a prior incident on 3 November 2020, where officers discovered 160 NDP cigarettes on the floor, which Mr Weweck Kakker, the Premises Licence Holder (PLH) and Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), had been dropping from his pockets.

Robert Dear stated that The Premises Licence Holder is failing to promote the Prevention of Crime and Disorder Licensing and the protection of Children from harm objectives. He recommended that the premises licence be suspended for a minimum of six weeks to three months to allow for staff training, that the DPS be removed and replaced by a trained individual, that the premises adopt a Challenge 25 policy², and that all alcohol be fully priced.

According to the report pack, the licensable activities authorised by the current premises licence for Discount Food & Wine include the retail sale of alcohol (off supplies) from Monday to Saturday between 08:00 and 23:00, and on Sundays from 10:00 to 22:30. The premises opening hours are the same.

Panel Procedure Guidance Note

The Sub-Committee was scheduled to review the Panel Procedure Guidance Note. The procedure to be followed at Licensing Sub Committee Hearings will be outlined by the Chair at the beginning of each hearing. Parties to the hearing can be represented by a friend or legal adviser who acts as their spokesperson. At the conclusion of the meeting the Sub Committee will retire to reach a decision accompanied by the Legal Adviser and Committee Clerk.