Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Licensing Principles consultation

This consultation has now closed.

What happened after the consultation?

All the responses were published in a report to the Licensing Committee who considered them on 13 September 2022.

The Licensing Committee considered the report and approved the changes made to the policy. These changes were subsequently approved by Cabinet on the 12 October 2022 and Full Council 15 December 2022. The revised policy came into effect on 1 April 2023.

Background

The Gambling Act 2005 requires Licensing Authorities to review and publish their Statement of Licensing Principles every three years and for this Council, this must be completed by April 2023.

Before publishing, the Statement of Licensing Principles must be reviewed, and this process is regulated by section 349 of the Gambling Act 2005 requiring the Council to consult with:

• the chief officer of police for the authority’s area
• one or more persons who appear to the authority to represent the interests of persons carrying on gambling businesses in the authority’s area
• one or more persons who appear to the authority to represent the interests of persons who are likely to be affected by the exercise of the authority’s functions under the Act.
• the Gambling Commission

Only minor changes are proposed to the Statement of Licensing Principles, these include:

• Guidance issued and published in April 2021 by the Gambling Commission.
• Updated population statistics
• The Local Area Profile is attached the Statement of Licensing Principles as an appendix. This contains a wide range of factors, data and information held by the Licensing Authority about the area. The updated version of this will be replace the existing version before the Statement is approved by Full Council in December 2022.

The revised Statement of Licensing Principles that is being consulted on can be seen here:

Any proposed changes Statement of Licensing Principles have been highlighted for ease of reference.

If you have any comments or recommendations in relation to the Statement of Licensing Principles:

• Email: LEDO@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
• Write to: Licensing Team, Cheshire West and Chester Council, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 OBA

If you require any assistance or further information please use the contact details above or:

• Telephone: 01244 972941

All submissions made will be considered by:

• Licensing Committee on 13 September 2022
• Cabinet on 12 October 2022

The amended policy will then be approved by Council on 15 December 2022 for implementation 1 April 2023.