The Licensing Acts Panel of Vale of White Horse District Council is scheduled to convene to consider an application for the review of a premises licence for Londis, 60 Vineyard, Abingdon, OX14 3PB. The agenda includes an outline of the procedure for the meeting. Councillors will also elect a chair for the hearing.

Here are the topics that are scheduled to be discussed:

Review of Londis premises licence

The primary item for consideration is the review of the premises licence for the Londis store located at 60 Vineyard, Abingdon. The application for review was submitted by Mr Ian Wares of the Thames Valley Police licensing team. The report pack includes the report of the Head of Communities, along with supporting documents and representations.

The grounds for the review, as stated in the application, include:

• Sale of nitrous oxide, a class C drug, outside of legitimate purposes.
• Sale of alcohol and nitrous oxide to a 15-year-old, who was later the victim of a serious sexual assault.
• Sale of vapes to underage persons.
• Breaches of the Licensing Act 2003, including failure to display the premises licence summary and lack of written delegation to sell alcohol.
• Breaches of licence conditions, such as inadequate staff training and a non-functional CCTV system.
• Discovery of an offensive weapon (a sword) on the premises.

The report pack includes a statement from PC Rachel Hackett regarding the seizure of nitrous oxide canisters and a sword from the premises.

The Licensing Acts Panel has several options available to them, should they find that the licensing objectives¹ have been undermined. These include:

• Modifying the conditions of the licence.
• Excluding a licensable activity from the scope of the licence.
• Removing the designated premises supervisor.
• Suspending the licence for a period not exceeding three months.
• Revoking the licence.

The report pack includes a copy of the premises licence in force at the time the application for the review was received, which was first granted on 14 January 2020 to Mr Mohammed Israr Nazir, who was also the designated premises supervisor (DPS). It also notes that an application has been received from Londis Marciano Limited to transfer the premises licence from Mr Mohammed Israr Nazir to themselves.

Representations regarding the review application have been received from:

• Vale of White Horse District Council Licensing Team, requesting a revocation of the premises licence.
• Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards team, also requesting revocation of the premises licence.
• 19 individuals, described as customers or local residents, who support the shop and claim to have not witnessed any breaches of the licensing objectives.

The report pack includes a letter from Charlie Fletcher, Licensing Enforcement Officer, outlining the Licensing Authority's support for the review application and recommending that the premises licence be revoked. The letter cites several concerns, including failures to display required notices, breaches of licence conditions related to staff training and authorisation of alcohol sales, and a lack of signage regarding the CCTV system.

The report pack also includes a letter from Simon Mitchell, Trading Standards Officer, detailing a history of concerns regarding underage sales and the sale of nitrous oxide at the premises. The letter notes that Trading Standards has attempted to work with the business to improve their procedures, but that these efforts have been unsuccessful.

The report pack includes copies of the council's statement of licensing policy and the Secretary of State's guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003.

Licensing Act 2003 Panel Procedure

The Licensing Acts Panel is scheduled to note the protocol and procedure for the meeting. The report pack includes a document outlining the Licensing Acts Panel – Protocol and Procedure, which has been adopted by the council's Licensing Acts Committee. The document outlines the following:

• The four licensing objectives¹ which are fundamental to the decision making of the panel.
• The council's duty to hold a hearing within a timescale specified in the regulations².
• The rights of parties to attend the hearing and to be assisted or represented by any person.
• The procedure for the hearing, including the order in which parties will be invited to present their cases.
• The options available to the panel after the hearing, including the possibility of adjourning the hearing to a new date.

The document states that the panel will be assisted and advised by one of the council's solicitors or legal advisers, and a democratic services officer will also be present to assist the members in providing a record of proceedings.