Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Steve Collings and Councillor Roy Owen.

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

No declarations of personal interest were received from any members present.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration.

None to note

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, held on 19 July 2021 be signed as a true record. 

The Chair signed the minutes of the meeting of this Committee held on 19 July 2021 as a true record.

Geraint B Edwards (Solicitor) was congratulated for his appointment as Solicitor in Monmouthshire. He was thanked for his advice and support to the Licensing Committee and the Licensing Sub-committee over the years and best wishes were relayed to him in his new post.

To submit, for information, minutes of the General Licensing Sub-committee meeting held on the following date –

a) 15 March 2021

Accepted, for information, the minutes of the Sub-committee meetings held

15 March 2021

To consider the report and approve the recommendation for the Full Council to adopt powers to regulate sex establishments and associated recommendations following the observations made in the public consultation

The Committee recommends to the Full Council:

·         to adopt, county-wide, the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) 1982, as amended by the Crime and Policing Act 2009, to become operational no earlier than 1 December 2021

·         to instruct the Head of Legal Services to publish the statutory notices associated with the decision to adopt for two consecutive weeks, with the first no later than 28 days before the date when the decision to adopt comes into force

·         to delegate the matters of determining fees, setting standard conditions and a plan for processing applications to the General Licensing Committee.

Submitted - a report by the Head of Environment Department highlighting the need for the Licensing Authorities that wished to regulate sex establishments in their area to adopt the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, as amended by the Crime and Policing Act 2009.

He referred to the background of the situation in Gwynedd and the powers that currently existed along with the decision of the General Licensing Committee (19 July 2021) to approve undertaking a process of considering adopting Schedule 3 to ensure the licensing and regulation of sex establishments in the County. Additionally, a 28-day consultation process had been approved and the public consultation had been launched on 26 July and ended on 23 August.

A press statement had been released and an awareness-raising campaign of the consultation had been held on social media. Key partners (including North Wales Police and Town and Community Councils) were consulted and invited to contribute to the consultation. Also, a questionnaire was posted on the Council's website and 102 responses were received. It was reported that a clear majority (68%) of the full responses that were received were in favour of adopting Schedule 3 to be able to regulate sex establishments in the County. Consequently, it was recommended that the Committee should recommend that the Full Council adopted Schedule 3 of the Local Government Act (Miscellaneous Provisions) 1982 and associated recommendations. It was anticipated that the matter would be submitted before the Full Council on 7 October 2012.

The members thanked the officer for the report

          Proposed and seconded – to approve the recommendation

RESOLVED that the Committee recommends that the Full Council:

·         Adopts, county-wide, the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) 1982, as amended by the Crime and Policing Act 2009, to become operational no earlier than 1 December 2021

·         Instructs the Head of Legal Services to publish the statutory notices associated with the decision to adopt for two consecutive weeks, with the first no later than 28 days before the date when the decision to adopt comes into force

·         Delegates the matters of determining fees, setting standard conditions and a plan for processing applications to the General Licensing Committee.