The Licensing Committee convened to discuss and recommend the adoption of the revised Statement of Gambling Principles. The committee reviewed the draft policy, which remains substantially the same as the previous version, and agreed to recommend it to the Environment and Communities Committee for consideration before it goes to full council for final approval.

Revised Statement of Gambling Principles

The committee considered a report on the revised Statement of Gambling Principles, a document required by the Gambling Act 2005. The Act mandates that local authorities prepare and publish a statement of the principles they propose to apply when exercising their functions under the Act for a three-year period.

The draft statement, included as appendix 1 to the public reports pack, is substantially the same as the previous version. According to the report, there have been no matters in the previous three years that would require a change of content. The statement guides applicants, objectors, licensing authority officers, and committee members in determining contested applications under the Gambling Act 2005.

The statement reflects the council's responsibilities under the Act, with a view to promoting the three licensing objectives:

• Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime.
• Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.
• Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

The report notes that most gambling developments have taken place in online gambling and control of offshore gambling providers, which are outside the scope of local authority powers and not appropriate for inclusion in the Statement of Gambling Principles.

A consultation was conducted with prescribed stakeholders between 9 June 2025 and 7 July 2025, with one response received from the Beacon Counselling Trust.¹ While the comments were considered, no changes to the draft policy were proposed because the policy already addresses some suggestions, and others are outside its scope. However, the Licensing Team will engage with the Trust to explore further opportunities, particularly around promoting responsible gambling practices at licensed premises. The consultation response is set out in appendix 2.

The draft revised statement will be considered by the Environment and Communities Committee on 13 November 2025, before proceeding to full council for final adoption in December 2025.

The Licensing Committee resolved to:

1. Note the draft revised Statement of Gambling Policy as set out in appendix 1 to the report.
2. Recommend the draft revised Statement of Gambling Policy to the Environment and Communities Committee for consideration before it is recommended to full council for adoption.