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Contact: Lowri Haf Evans Email: lowrihafevans@gwynedd.gov.uk 01286 679 878
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillors Dilwyn Morgan and Peter Read. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive
any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: No declarations of personal interest were received from
any members present. |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any
items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for
consideration. Minutes: None to
note |
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The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, held on 12.12.16 be signed as a true record. Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee, that took place on
12 December 2016, as a true record subject to noting that Councillor
Annwen Hughes was present. |
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REVIEW OF STATEMENT OF GAMBLING POLICY Consider
the report of the Licensing Manager Additional documents: Minutes: A draft Gambling Policy Statement was presented to the
Members for consideration and approval before conducting a public consultation
in accordance with the 2005 Gambling Act. The main purposes of the Gambling
Act, along with the requirements of the Gambling Commission, were highlighted
for gambling operators to assess the local risks to the licensing objectives
that arose as a result of providing gambling facilities as well as having
policies, procedures and risk measures to mitigate those risks. It was noted that the draft Policy had been prepared
in consultation with the North Wales Licensing Group, with the aim of ensuring
consistency across the region. It was reiterated that Gwynedd had submitted the
format and the other Councils of North Wales had adopted it. This was accepted
as positive information. It was reported that the consultation period would
continue for 12 weeks, with the Licensing Authority addressing the responses
received. After completing the process, the final draft Statement would be
re-submitted to the Licensing Committee, who would recommend that the Full
Council adopt it (this was required under Section 154 of the 2005 Gambling
Act). During the ensuing
discussion the following points were highlighted by individual Members: ·
Concern of endless gambling
promotion adverts on the television was highlighted ·
Access
to gambling services was too easy ·
Companies encouraged people
to buy lottery tickets by simplifying the internet payment process ·
The
vulnerable community must be considered - lack of spending money ·
Gambling machines in public
houses - needed to avoid these in family dining areas / out of reach of
children ·
The Health Board needed to
be part of the consultation In response to an observation regarding the concerns
highlighted, it was noted that the management of television advertisements was
beyond the remit the Licensing Committee and the Licensing Authority and that
the Gambling Commission was responsible for the regulating. It was suggested that a letter be sent to the Commission,
Arfon and Dwyfor and Meirionnydd Assembly Members, and the local Members of
Parliament, to express the Committee's concerns on easy access to gambling
services. It was highlighted that the Committee had a duty of care to highlight
this in order to protect vulnerable individuals. In response to a question regarding using officers to
carry out random inspections in betting shops, it was noted that inspections
would not be carried out unless a risk assessment had been conducted, or
evidence had been submitted that there were concerns / complaints on the
location / shop. It was confirmed that there was a purchase test on items such
as tobacco and alcohol, but not on betting items. It was highlighted that the
reason for this was because it was not a statutory requirement, but should the
Committee decide that this was beneficial, reasons for not doing so were not
anticipated. In response to an observation regarding the timing of the submission of a draft statement to the Committee before the election, and that the Committee's membership was likely to change by the period of receiving ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |