The Licensing Committee (Alcohol and Gambling) met to discuss the Licensing Performance Report (Alcohol and Gambling) 2024/25 and review the work carried out by the Licensing Team. The committee agreed to receive the performance report annually. They also approved an increase to the Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA) with GF Tomlinson for the Stockyard project to £988,930.

Stockyard Project

The committee approved recommendations to increase the Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA) with GF Tomlinson for the Stockyard project to £988,930. The decision was made under CEX476 - Support of Planning app for LUF increase.

Licensing Performance Report (Alcohol and Gambling) 2024/25

The Licensing Committee received a report from Joanne Belcher, Environmental Health and Licensing Manager, on the work carried out by the Licensing Team and the wider impacts and benefits of the licensing regime. The report covered the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, and provided a comparison with previous years.

The report detailed the number of licenses dealt with under the Licensing and Gambling Acts, including:

• Personal alcohol licences
• Premises alcohol licences
• Temporary event notices
• Late temporary event notices
• Club premises certificates
• Betting premises
• Gaming machines
• Small Society Lotteries

The report noted that the total number of licences dealt with under alcohol and gambling between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 was 452.

The report also highlighted the work of the Licensing Enforcement Officer, who carried out 44 compliance checks at licensed premises, of which 25 were found to be non-compliant. Follow-up visits were carried out to ensure compliance. 15 complaint investigations were also carried out relating to licensed premises.

The report also provided an update on events safety and the Safety Advisory Group (SAG). The Environmental Health and Licensing manager is currently the chair of the Safety Advisory Group for Melton. A number of SAG's have been held this year for larger events in the Borough, and SAG debriefs for the 2 large festivals. The 2 large music festivals occurred in the summer of 2024 and team members were present during all days to ensure compliance with the licences.

The report also included a table setting out the information on the policies relevant to alcohol and gambling and review dates.

Finally, the report noted that following the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill also known as Martyn's law received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The legislation places a requirement on those responsible for certain publicly accessible locations to consider the threat from terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures, and strengthens the security of public premises and events. The Act will be enforced by the Security Industry Authority (SIA). It was announced there would be at least 24 months before the Act comes into force.

The committee noted the information in the report and agreed that the performance report be received annually from hereon.