The Licensing Committee for Newham Council was scheduled to meet on 26 August 2025 at East Ham Town Hall. The meeting was to include discussion of declarations of interest from committee members, and a review of the borough's Statement of Licensing Policy relating to the Gambling Act 2005.

Here's a breakdown of the key items from the agenda:

Review of the Borough's Statement of Licensing Policy - Gambling Act 2005

The main item for discussion was the review of the borough's Statement of Licensing Policy, as required by section 349 of the Gambling Act 2005, which requires the authority to publish a statement of licensing policy every three years. The Committee- Statement of Licensing Policy Gambling Act 2005 report included a recommendation for the committee to approve the reviewed Statement of Gambling Policy for the years 2025-2028, taking into account feedback from a statutory consultation. The proposed Statement of Gambling Policy was included as Appendix 1 Gambling Policy 2025-28 v4.

The report pack noted that the policy had been completely re-written to account for developments in gambling regulation, including the government's white paper High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age, and calls from 40 local authorities (including Newham) for greater licensing powers over gambling venues.

A key focus of the revised policy was to protect children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The report pack stated that the policy aimed to be more prescriptive in this area, and to introduce a Gambling Vulnerability Area in East Ham.

The report pack included a summary of key information on the draft policy:

• Gambling regulation is split between the Gambling Commission (regulating remote gambling and issuing licences) and local authorities (regulating non-remote gambling and issuing premises licences).
• As a licensing authority, the London Borough of Newham is responsible for:
  • Publishing a Statement of Licensing Policy.
  • Considering applications and issuing licences for gambling premises.
  • Issuing permits for some forms of gambling.
  • Reviewing or revoking licences where premises fail to promote the three licensing objectives[^2].
  • Undertaking inspection and enforcement activities.
• The Gambling Act 2005 has three licensing objectives:
  • Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder.
  • Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.
  • Protecting children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
• The licensing authority is bound by a statutory aim to permit premises licences where applications are in accordance with the Gambling Commission's codes of practice, guidance to local authorities, the licensing authority's own statement of principles and the three licensing objectives.
• The local authority cannot consider if there is a need or demand for the gambling facilities applied for, nor saturation of existing premises.
• The Gambling Commission guidance states that moral objections to gambling are not a valid reason to reject applications for premises licences.

The report pack also referenced an investigation by the London Assembly Health Committee into the health impacts of gambling in London, which found that gambling-related harms disproportionately affect people from lower socio-economic groups and minority ethnic groups.

The report pack stated that the new policy places a strong emphasis on protecting children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling. It also stated that any relevant gambling harms identified at a local level must be properly identified and considered, and that all local area risk assessments accompanying applications will be tailored to the context of the London Borough of Newham and its specific demographics and challenges.

The Appendix 2 Gambling policy consultation text outlined the reasons for seeking views on the policy, noting that the Gambling Act 2005 has three licensing objectives that a Licensing Authority must incorporate into any policy.

The Appendix 3 List of consultees included responsible authorities, operators and legal representatives, trade bodies and industry bodies, and gambling addiction/harms support services and local groups.

Appendix 4 Feedback received to consultation included results from a Newham Co-Create residents survey, which found that the majority of respondents felt there were too many gambling premises in Newham, and associated them with crime and anti-social behaviour. There was strong support for tighter controls and for protecting vulnerable groups.

Appendix 5 Formal feedback to consultees who responded included a letter from Gosschalks solicitors, representing the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which raised concerns about the draft policy. The letter stated that the purpose of the licensing authority's statement of principles is to outline the principles that the authority will apply when exercising its functions, and not to commentate on case law or anticipated changes to legislation. The letter also stated that the inclusion of cherry-picked and potentially dated figures taken out of context within the draft policy appeared to be an attempt to provide justification for refusal rather than giving an outline of the principles to be applied whilst aiming to permit the use of premises for gambling.

The Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) found that the proposal would have a neutral impact on people of different ages, ethnic groups and nationalities, gender identities, marital statuses, religious faiths or beliefs, and sexual orientations. The EqIA also found that the proposal would have a neutral impact on people who are socio-economically disadvantaged, and people with different levels of health and well-being.

Other Matters

• Management of the Business of the Meeting: Councillor Tonii Wilson, Chair of Licensing Committee, was scheduled to agree on the meeting's arrangements with the other members, including the order of business and confirmation of agenda items.
• Declarations of Interest: Councillors were to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or non-pecuniary interests in any matter being considered at the meeting, in accordance with the Members' Code of Conduct. Guidance on this was contained in the Declaration of Interest Guidance.