Scottish Borders Council

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells, TD6 0SA

Contact: Fiona Walling 01835 826504A  email  fwalling@scotborders.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Minute pdf icon PDF 67 KB

Minute of meeting of the Local Licensing Forum of 20 March 2018 to be noted (copy attached).

Minutes:

CHAIRMAN

The meeting was chaired by Mark Hay.  He gave a welcome to Alcohol Focus Scotland representatives Aidan Collins (Senior Coordinator – Policy and Development) and Nicola Merrin (Senior Coordinator – Policy and Research) and also welcomed Members of the Licensing Forum and Licensing Board.

 

JOINT TRAINING SESSION

Prior to the formal meeting of the Licensing Forum there was a joint CPD training session for members of the Forum and Licensing Board.  This comprised a presentation entitled ‘Minimum Unit Pricing and the  Licensing Standards Officer’ given by Ian Tunnah and a presentation by the representatives from Alcohol Focus Scotland on ‘Alcohol Availability and Harm in Scottish Borders’.  Each presentation was followed by a discussion on the issues raised and it was agreed that copies of both presentations be circulated for information to all members of the Forum and Board following the meeting.

 

RESIGNATION

Members were sorry to hear that James McKay had sent in his resignation from the Forum which was for personal reasons.

 

 

The note of the informal meeting held on 20 March 2018 had been circulated.

 

DECISION

NOTED

 

2.

Alcohol Profile

Update by Alcohol & Drugs Partnership Co-ordinator.

Minutes:

The Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) Coordinator, Susan Elliot, advised that the ‘Alcohol Profile in the Scottish Borders 2016-17’ had been finalised and published.  The aim of the Profile was to support the Scottish Borders Licensing Board by providing evidence to support decision making and inform development of future Licensing Policy Statement. The Profile and its value as a reference was nationally recognised. The document could be accessed on the Scottish Borders Council website and paper copies were available at the meeting.  Copies would also be provided for Community Planning Partners and ADP stakeholders.  Mike Wynne thanked Ms Elliot and other staff involved for the significant amount of work required in developing this report and in turn Susan thanked members of the Forum for their assistance.

 

DECISION

NOTED the publication of the Alcohol Profile in the Scottish Borders 2016/17

 

3.

Scottish Borders Licensing Board Policy Consultation pdf icon PDF 273 KB

Update by Licensing Standards Officer (draft Policy Statement attached).

Minutes:

With reference to paragraph 3 of the note of the last meeting, Licensing Standards Officer, Ian Tunnah, confirmed that the draft Licensing Board Policy Statement had been released for a six month consultation period. A copy of the draft statement had been circulated with the agenda. Members of the Forum were reminded that they could respond individually to the consultation as well as contributing to a response on behalf of the Forum .  Mr Tunnah advised that, in revising the Policy Statement an objective had been to simplify the document by removing content considered unnecessary.  With reference to the draft response to the consultation on behalf of the Forum, circulated to members by email prior to the meeting, members were asked for their comments on each section of the draft Policy Statement.   After discussion on the section regarding overprovision it was suggested that the Statement should be more robust in terms of identifying the areas of overprovision and associated alcohol-related harm, in the Scottish Borders, as reflected in national data and in the local Alcohol Profile.  There was further discussion about the concept of ‘pop-up’ pubs whereby an application for an Occasional Licence may be received for a temporary pub in empty shop premises.  There was concern that empty premises for a proposed pop-up pub would fail to meet the standard required for on-sale licensed premises and that, during festival celebrations where the idea of a pop-up pub may be economically lucrative the areas concerned were usually well served by both on and off sales licensed premises.  The Forum agreed to recommend that a statement be included in the Board’s Policy Statement against the concept and licensing of pop-up pubs.

 

DECISION

AGREED that Ms Elliot amend the Forum’s consultation response to the draft Policy Statement in accordance with the above comments and re-circulate to members for approval.

 

4.

Licensing Standards Officers - update

Minutes:

Mr Tunnah reported that since the last meeting, he and Mike Wynne had been busy with the Rugby 7s circuit and the Common Riding Festivals.  Mr Wynne commented that the ‘don’t buy it don’t supply it’ campaign against underage drinking appeared to be having an impact as people appeared to be talking about it and the press had been involved.  The ‘pull-up’ campaign signs for supermarkets and similar outlets were moved around the Borders in accordance with the festival calendar.  Licensing Standards Officers’   time had also been taken up dealing with a high volume of Occasional Licences with last minute applications proving to be a problem.

 

      DECISION

      NOTED the update.

 

5.

Scottish Borders Licensing Board Minutes pdf icon PDF 72 KB

Copies of minutes of 23 March 2018, 20 April 2018 and 25 May 2018 attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There had been circulated, for information, copies of the Scottish Borders Licensing Board Minutes of 23 March 2018, 20 April 2018 and 25 May 2018.

 

DECISION

NOTED the minutes.

 

6.

Other Business

·         Feedback from Scottish Parliament Local Government and Communities Discussion on Licensing   https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/local-government-and-communities-committee-may-23-2018

 

·         ‘Ask for Angela’ policy feedback

Minutes:

6.1       LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

For information, a link to a recording of the Scottish Government Local Government and Communities Committee meeting of 23 May 2018 had been circulated with the agenda.  Susan Elliot had been invited to contribute to the first part of this meeting which had focused on Alcohol Licensing in Scotland.  The evidence taken, from those invited to attend, included reference to the role of Local Licensing Fora and their relationship to Licensing Boards.  There was recognition of the challenge of recruitment of members, the importance and need for training and the value of the contribution from experienced members.

 

DECISION

NOTED

 

6.2        ‘aSK FOR ANGELA’ POLICY

Mr Hay explained that the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme was an initiative, developed initially in other areas, to help people who felt unsafe in the company they were in at a venue by using the code word to get the attention of bar staff. Staff would then discretely separate them from the situation which was making them feel unsafe.  This would usually             involve taking the person to a safe place and calling for a taxi or contacting a friend or      family member.  Mr Hay had placed posters advertising the scheme in female toilets at various venues and events where he had provided bar facilities and he added that there had been two recent occasions when the ‘Ask for Angela’ approach had been taken by customers. Members of the Forum recognised the value of the initiative and agreed with Mr Hay that the scheme should be rolled out further at venues and events within the Scottish Borders.  PC Ray suggested it could be an extension of the ‘Who Are You?’ training programme given to bar staff and offered to assist in the roll out.

 

DECISION

AGREED that PC Ray explore the roll-out of the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme at venues and events across the Scottish Borders as part of ‘Who Are You?’.

 

7.

Private Business

Before proceeding with the private business, the following motion should be approved:-

“That under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 7A to the aforementioned Act”.

Minutes:

AGREED under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 to exclude the public from the meeting during consideration of the business detailed in the Appendix to this Minute on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 7A to the Act.

 

 

SUMMARY OF PRIVATE BUSINESS

 

 

8.

Police Report

Minutes:

PC Ray gave a report for the period 1 January 2018 to 31 May 2018.

 

 

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Scottish Borders Council

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