Issue - meetings

Report No: EXC/SA/19/002

Shadow Executive (Cabinet) Members: Susan Glossop and Lance Stanbury

Lead Officer: David Collinson

RECOMMENDED TO SHADOW COUNCIL: (19 February 2019)

That:

(1)     the West Suffolk Statement of Licensing Policy 2019-2022, attached at Appendix A to Report No: EXC/SA/19/002, be adopted; and

(2)     the Cumulative Impact Assessments for Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds as contained within the West Suffolk Statement of Licensing Policy, be adopted.

The Shadow Executive (Cabinet) considered the above report, which sought approval for a new West Suffolk Statement of Licensing Policy to cover the period 2019-2022.

All councils were required to have a Statement of Licensing Policy and to update it at least every five years. Forest Heath’s Statement of Licensing Policy was last renewed in December 2018; St Edmundsbury’s was last updated in December 2017. The policy content of both documents was identical.

The Shadow Council needed to adopt a Statement of Licensing Policy for West Suffolk Council before 1 April 2019. The document attached at Appendix Acontained the same wording as the Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury Council documents, but with proposed changes set out in paragraph 1.1.2 of the report.

Councillor Lance Stanbury, one of the Shadow Executive (Cabinet) Members with the responsibility for Planning and Growth, drew relevant issues to the attention of the Shadow Executive, including that in order to abide by the requirement for Statements of Licensing Policy to be renewed every five years, West Suffolk Council would need to adopt a new policy by December 2022. This would be preceded by consultation, allowing consultees in St Edmundsbury the opportunity to give comments and feedback within five years of the previous policy covering the area being adopted.

Attention was also drawn to the revised guidance, adoption and publication of the two Cumulative Impact Assessments in West Suffolk, namely Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds, which were required to be renewed every three years.The Bury St Edmunds Cumulative Impact Assessment was adopted in December 2017, and would therefore require renewal in December 2020.

RECOMMENDED TO SHADOW COUNCIL: (19 February 2019)

That:

(1)     the West Suffolk Statement of Licensing Policy 2019-2022, attached at Appendix A to Report No: EXC/SA/19/002, be adopted; and

(2)     the Cumulative Impact Assessments for Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds as contained within the West Suffolk Statement of Licensing Policy, be adopted.