As Brent Council consultations have a low profile and a poor response rate I am publicising two more that are in progress. Both affect the daily lives of residents.
FROM BRENT COUNCIL
Statement of Licensing
Policy Consultation -Alcohol
Every 5 years the Council is required to review,
consult on and re-publish its Statement of Licensing Policy. The current
Statement of Licensing Policy is due to be re-published in January 2025.
The Statement of Licensing Policy is a document
that sets out the Council’s approach to issuing licences for the sale of
alcohol and late night refreshment, the management of those licences and the
expectations the Council has of licensees.
The Statement of Licensing Policy has been reviewed
and refreshed to ensure that it is up to date and relevant to Brent’s current
circumstances and how they affect the licensed economy.
We do encourage you to read the draft Statement of
Licensing Policy 2025-2030, however, we have also outlined the key changes
below:
Key changes and additions for the Licensing Policy
1. The Licensing Policy has been
updated for changes in laws and the Section 182 guidance. Including
changes in pavement licences, a link to immigration status documentation and
the inclusion of a policy to prepare for ‘Martyn’s
Law’.
2. In particular new policies
have been included to outline expectations in the following areas:
a. Addressing risks and harms to
women and vulnerable people in the night time economy;
b. Responding to the proposed
Martyn’s Law by outlining event and large venue safety and risk assessment;
c. Highlighting expectations
for ‘dark kitchens’ an their premises to improve the operation and oversight of
alcohol sales from these premises;
d. Ensuring licenses are aware of
their responsibilities in relation to drink spiking.
e. Policies outlining expectations
on delivery services and the dispersal of patrons from premises.
3. We have also removed the policy
on a voluntary Minimum Unit Price, this policy has not been used and other
approaches have had a positive impact in the
area of low cost, high strength
alcohol sales.
The policy must now be fully reviewed, and
re-published.
We have prepared a revised a draft policy for
consultation purposes. The consultation began on August 8th and ends
on September 29th. LINK
Draft Statement of Licensing
policy 2025-30.pdf
(1.8 MB)
Gambling Licensing Policy Consultation 2025 -
2028 - Gambling
Under the terms of the Gambling Act 2005, we must
review the licensing policy statement every three years.
We base this policy on the three licensing
objectives, which are:
- a) Preventing gambling from being a
source of crime and disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or
being used to support crime.
- b) Ensuring that gambling is conducted in
a fair an open way
- c) Protecting children and other vulnerable
people from being harmed or exploited by gaming.
The purpose of the policy is to share:
- the guiding principles that direct us in
making licensing decisions
- issues that applicants will need to consider
when making an application.
- the ways we will issue licenses
- the role and influence of representations
- how we will communicate with others and
undertake our enforcement role in relation to gambling
This information is for residents and businesses
and those who wish to run gambling establishments.
This policy was comprehensively reviewed last year
and only minor amendments have been made.
The policy must now be fully reviewed, and
re-published.
We have prepared a revised a draft policy for
consultation purposes. Consultation began on August 5th and ends on
September 29th.
Please fill out the consultation questions via our
survey. LINK
Draft Statement of Principles for
Gambling 2025.28.pdf
(1.3 MB)
