Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Stan Anderson.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting of 11 October 2017 were agreed as a correct record.

The Technical Officer – Street Trading presented the report on the designation of parts of the highway for the purposes of Street Trading. The report concerned five applications for the following:

1)    An area of 9m x 1.6m outside Kentucky Fried Chicken 81 - 83 The Broadway Wimbledon SW19

2)    An area of 7.1m x 1.1m outside Smash 82 The Broadway Wimbledon SW19 1RH.

3)    An area of 3.8m x 1m outside Joe & The Juice 78 High Street Wimbledon SW19 5EG.

4)    An area of 4.7m x 1.4m outside Latif Halal Meat 4 Morden Court Parade SM4 5HJ.

5)    An area of 3m x 3m on Eastfields Road Mitcham sited between the end of the parking bays outside 93 Eastfields Road and Mitcham Eastfields Station.

The Technical Officer gave an overview of the applications and advised that there was some additional information to provide since the report had been published. The Technical officer advised that in relation to KFC he had been monitoring the area in regards to concerns about moped drivers outside the premises and that the number of mopeds had increased however they had been advised to park opposite the premises and a number of them were now adhering to this. The Technical Officer noted that the recommendation is based on the use of the area itself and there were no concerns from officers about the recommendation. In response to member questions, the Technical Officer responded that KFC had been asked to take a more hands-on approach to managing the site and ensuring delivery drivers were not encouraged to use the seating area as it was meant for customer use.

In regards to the area outside Latif Halal Meat, the Technical Officer advised that despite numerous requests for a response from Transport for London, no such response had been received and therefore their consent was presumed for this application.

In response to member questions regarding the Eastfields Road application, the Technical Officer advised that the application was for 6am-10am and would be on the widest section of the pavement.

The Technical Officer advised members to inform him of any concerns regarding street trading licences including adhering to licensed hours so sites could be monitored.

RESOLVED

That the Committee designated the proposed areas:

1)    An area of 9m x 1.6m outside Kentucky Fried Chicken 81 - 83 The Broadway Wimbledon SW19

2)    An area of 7.1m x 1.1m outside Smash 82 The Broadway Wimbledon SW19 1RH.

3)    An area of 3.8m x 1m outside Joe & The Juice 78 High Street Wimbledon SW19 5EG.

4)    An area of 4.7m x 1.4m outside Latif Halal Meat 4 Morden Court Parade SM4 5HJ.

5)    An area of 3m x 3m on Eastfields Road Mitcham sited between the end of the parking bays outside 93 Eastfields Road and Mitcham Eastfields Station.

The Licensing Manager presented the report, advising that the Council was required to review and republish the Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005 every 3 years, with the current statement expiring on 31/01/2019. The Licensing Manager gave an overview of the proposed timetable for public consultation and for Committee approval and agreement by Full Council, advising that the Responsible Authorities, Interested persons and residents groups would be informed that the statement was open for consultation and it would also be published online on the Councils’ website and any comments could be then submitted in writing.

In response to member questions the Licensing Manager advised that the existing policy allowed up to 4 gaming machines on alcohol licensed premises but that members could choose to reduce this to 2 going forward, however this would only apply to new applications. The Licensing Manager advised that the current Gambling Act application fees were set at the statutory maximum, as set by central government, and therefore they could be reduced but not increased.

The Licensing Manager gave an overview of the new Local Area Profile and advised members that a draft version was due to be brought to Committee for comments in October 2018.

Members formally agreed and seconded a proposal that new applications, made under the simplified application provision of the Gambling Act 2005, would only be permitted a maximum of 2 gaming machines on alcohol licensed premises  (reduced from the current maximum of 4).

The Licensing Manager advised Committee that Merton currently has a No Casino Policy, members agreed that this should be retained.

Following further discussion regarding numbers of gaming machines on current licensed premises, it was proposed and seconded that the Committee would write to parliament to request that this was looked at during the discussions on maximum fixed odds betting terminal stakes to see if numbers of machines at premises could be reduced from the current provision of a maximum of four machines.

RESOLVED

That the Licensing Committee approved the recommended amendments to the revised Statement of Principles under the Gambling Act 2005 (Gambling Policy) before the start of the public consultation processes.