The Licensing Sub-Committee was scheduled to convene to address a single licensing matter. The meeting was to focus on a review of the premises licence for Garip's Superstore LTD, trading as Costcutter, located at 14-20 Farr Avenue, Barking, Essex IG11 0NZ. This review was initiated following an application by the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Alcohol Licensing Team.

Licensing Act 2003 - Premises Licence Review: Garip's Superstore LTD trading as Costcutter

The sub-committee was scheduled to consider a report regarding an application to review the premises licence for Garip's Superstore LTD trading as Costcutter. The application for review was submitted by the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Alcohol Licensing Team, under Section 51 of the Licensing Act 2003. The review application was supported by a representation from the Metropolitan Police, citing concerns under the licensing objectives of the Prevention of Crime and Disorder and Public Safety.

The report outlined that the Licensing Act 2003 establishes the national licensing regime for:

• The sale and supply of alcohol
• The provision of regulated entertainment; and
• The provision of late-night refreshment.

The council, as the local licensing authority, is responsible for licensing premises to provide any of the licensable activities under a 'premises licence'. The report stated that when carrying out its licensing duties, a local licensing authority must have regard to:

• The Act and associated secondary regulations.
• Guidance for local licensing authorities issued by the Home Office
• The Authority's own Statement of Licensing Policy

The authority must also aim to promote the four licensing objectives:

• The prevention of crime and disorder
• Public safety
• The prevention of public nuisance; and
• The protection of children from harm.

The Home Office Immigration Licensing team applied for a review of the premises licence granted for Garips's Superstore LTD trading as Costcutter. The review was submitted under the licensing objective of Prevention of Crime and Disorder, with the Home Office Immigration Licensing Team (ICE) stating they believed that the licence holder had failed to meet the licensing objectives of prevention of crime and disorder, as illegal working had been identified at this premises. The review application is attached as Appendix A and A1.

The representation received from the Metropolitan Police in support of the review was made under the licensing objectives of the prevention of crime & disorder and public safety and is attached as Appendix B.

The premises licence holders are Caglar Garip & Ismail Garip, and the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) is Caglar Garip. The Licensable Activity is the Supply of Alcohol Monday to Sunday from 08:00hrs to 23:59hrs. A copy of the premises licence is attached as Appendix C.

The report stated that the sub-committee may decide to:

• Modify the conditions of the premises licence
• Exclude a licensable activity from the scope of the licence
• Remove the designated premises supervisor from the licence
• Suspend the licence for a period not exceeding three months.
• Revoke the licence

The report stated that in deciding what remedial action if any it should take, the authority must consider the causes or concerns that the representation(s) identify, and that the remedial action should be directed at these causes and should always be no more than an appropriate and proportionate response.

The review application from the Home Office Immigration Enforcement stated that on 10 October 2024, the North East London ICE team visited Garip's Superstore Ltd t/a Costcutter, after intelligence was received that the business' owner was employing illegal workers. Officers encountered four employees, three of whom were identified as immigration offenders. A penalty of £40,000 was issued, with a reduced amount of £28,000 paid on 19 February 2025.

The review application stated that immigration officers noted several breaches of the premises licence:

• The fire exit route was cluttered and had multiple obstructions.
• The DPS stated that training was done verbally and there were no records held for this.
• The DPS was asked if notices were displayed requesting customers to leave quietly, he replied 'Not presently.'
• The DPS was unsure if the CCTV recordings were held for a minimum of 31 days.
• Fire extinguishers were seen under a desk next to alcohol stock and electric heater
• The DPS informed officers that the premises licence was on display. However, it was the old licence dated 23 June 2021 that was on display.

The review application stated that Section 182 guidance at point 11.27 states that certain activity should be treated particularly seriously, and this includes employing someone who is disqualified from that work by reason of their immigration status in the UK. Point 11.28 of the guidance states that it is expected that revocation of the licence – even in the first instance – should be seriously considered.

The review application stated that Immigration Enforcement asks that the premises licence is revoked.

A witness statement from PC Owen Dunn, Police Licensing Officer for the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, stated that police are fully supportive of this review by Immigration Authority and support the suggestion of full revocation of this premises licence.