Issue - meetings

Environmental Services and Sustainability Portfolio

To consider report HCS/050 of the Head of Community Services, which was referred to the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission on 21 November 2022.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet:

a)         considered and notes  the feedback received following the consultation and consideration of the Licensing Committee (as set out in Section 8 of report HCS/050).

b)         agrees that the Council will write to the West Sussex CC Education Service to request that anti-gambling be included within the curriculum, as suggested by the Overview and Scrutiny Commission.

c)         requests that Full Council approves, adopts and authorises for publication the proposed revised Statement Licensing Policy (Gambling) for the period 2023-2025 as set out in Appendix A of report HCS/050.

Reasons for the Recommendations

It is a statutory requirement under the Gambling Act 2005 for a Licensing Authority to

prepare and publish a Statement of its Licensing Policy every three years.  The Council is the Licensing Authority for gambling matters in the borough of Crawley. It is therefore necessary to agree and develop the proposed Statement of Licensing Policy (Gambling Act) to discharge the Council’s role in its capacity of Licensing Authority for the 3 year period 2023 – 2025. 

To ensure the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy (Gambling) is revised and published for the coming 3 years as required by Section 349 of the Gambling Act 2005 and that this is done in accordance with procedures, legislative requirements and is complaint with statutory guidance regarding consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability presented report HCS/050 of the Head of Community Services, which detailed the outcomes of the statutory consultation on the proposed revision of the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy. It was noted that as Crawley Borough Council was the Licensing Authority it was required under the Gambling Act 2005 to approve, following consultation, a Statement of its Licensing policy under the Gambling Act 2005 every three years.

The Cabinet noted the Overview and Scrutiny Commission’s support for the recommendations from its meeting on 21 November 2022, as presented by Councillor T Belben and as detailed in the Commission’s comments to Cabinet which included that the report had been put before the Licensing Committee, which supported adoption of the revised policy. The Commission proposed a further recommendation to the Cabinet relating to the report, that the Council will write to the West SussexCC Education Service to request that anti-gambling be included within the curriculum, as the Commission were concerned over the ease of access children and young people did have to online gambling.

Councillors Buck, C Mullins, S Mullins and Jones spoke as part of the discussion on the report and showed their support of the proposal made by the Commission and the policy as a whole.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet:

a)            considered and notes  the feedback received following the consultation and consideration of the Licensing Committee (as set out in Section 8 of report HCS/050).

b)            agrees that the Council will write to the West Sussex CC Education Service to request that anti-gambling be included within the curriculum, as suggested by the Overview and Scrutiny Commission.

c)            requests that Full Council approves, adopts and authorises for publication the proposed revised Statement Licensing Policy (Gambling) for the period 2023-2025 as set out in Appendix A of report HCS/050.

Reasons for the Recommendations

It is a statutory requirement under the Gambling Act 2005 for a Licensing Authority to

prepare and publish a Statement of its Licensing Policy every three years.  The Council is the Licensing Authority for gambling matters in the borough of Crawley. It is therefore necessary to agree and develop the proposed Statement of Licensing Policy (Gambling Act) to discharge the Council’s role in its capacity of Licensing Authority for the 3 year period 2023 – 2025. 

To ensure the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy (Gambling) is revised and published for the coming 3 years as required by Section 349 of the Gambling Act 2005 and that this is done in accordance with procedures, legislative requirements and is complaint with statutory guidance regarding consultation.

To consider report HCS/050 of the Head of Community Services.

The Commission considered report HCS/050 of the Head of Community Services. The report documented the proposed amendments to the Council’s revised Statement of Licensing Policy (Gambling) Gambling Act 2005 (2023-2025), which had been generated from responses following an 8 week public consultation exercise.

During the discussion with the Leader of the Council and the Team Leader Principal for Health, Safety and Licensing Services, the following comments were made:

·         Acknowledgement that there had been support at the previous Licensing Committee for the revised policy.

·         Confirmation that the Council was responsible for the issuing of licences for premises that were covered by the Gambling Act 2005. Licences for operators and game types together with controls concerning gambling machines were dealt with directly by the Gambling Commission.  It was noted that a number of specific matters must be considered and determined within the policy in order that the provision of betting, gaming and lotteries within the Borough was provided in a manner that promotes the three statutory gambling Licensing Objectives.

·         Confirmation was provided that since 2005 no Temporary Use Notices had been issued in relation to Gambling.

·         Support for the rate of fees associated with gambling activities, which since September 2022 the Council had set these at the maximum allowed by the Gambling Act 2005.

·         Clarification was sought and obtained on the consultees including those within the public health sector at West Sussex as well as other organisations.  A list of consultees was documented in the report appendix with a full directory available upon request.

·         Recognition that the revised policy included new information about problem gambling and links to poor mental health. There were mechanisms in place to support those with tendencies toward unsafe or excessive gambling which included a premises exclusion policy, an individual self-exclusion policy, signage with information about problem gambling and signposting toward sources of support. Additionally, gambling premises were not allowed to include any marketing that might appeal to under 18s.

·         It was noted that not all gambling resulted in excess and there was support for the revised policy which allowed the Council to regulate and enforce safer gambling within its legal powers.

·         However, concerns were raised about the harmful effects of gambling on children and young people, particularly with the ease of access to online gambling. It was therefore moved by Councillor T Belben (seconded by Councillor Lanzer) that the Cabinet consider writing to WSCC Education Service to request that anti-gambling be included within the curriculum. A vote was taken and upon being put to the Commission, the proposal was declared as carried.

RESOLVED

That the Commission noted the report and requested that the views expressed during the debate, were fed back to the Cabinet through the Commission’s Comment sheet, with the additional recommendation above.