Agenda item

Scottish Government Consultation Paper on Occasional Licenses.  (Copy attached)

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION PAPER ON OCCASIONAL LICENCES

5.1     There had been circulated copies of a briefing note by the Managing Solicitor (Property and Licensing), to brief Members with regard to the ongoing Scottish Government consultation on Occasional Licenses and the nature of the response which Licensing Officers proposed to make on behalf of the Board.  The consultation was due to close on 16 July 2019.  There had also been circulated a copy of the consultation paper which broadly formed a series of questions which was broken down into two parts: namely, the level of fee to be charged for an Occasional License Application and whether a limit should be placed on the number and duration of Occasional Licenses which could be applied for by holders of a Premises Licence or a Personal Licence.  Members were asked to endorse the proposed response to the consultation on behalf of the Board.

5.2     Mr Kirk advised Members that the current fee payable for an Occasional Licence was £10 and that this fee had been in place for a considerable period of time.  The consultation asked if the Board agreed that this fee should be increased and invited suggestions for a suitable fee level.  Licensing Officers recommendation, as outlined in the Briefing Note, was an increased fee of £30 for voluntary organisations applications and an increased fee of £75 for applications made by the holders of a Premises or Personal licence.  Members discussed the options and it was suggested that the officers recommendation of an increased fee for the holders of a Premises or Personal licence was perhaps too high. 

Motion:

Councillor Weatherston, seconded by Councillor Richards moved that an increase be made to £50 with a cost of £30 for voluntary organisations. 

Councillor Tatler recommended an increase be made to £30 and £10 for voluntary organisation but no seconder was received.   

5.3     Mr Kirk explained that the second part of the consultation related to the possibility of placing  a limit on the number and duration of occasional licence applications which could be made by holders of premises and personal licences as currently there was no limit on the number of  applications which could be made by the holders of such licences.  Mr Kirk advised that there were already restrictions on the number of applications a voluntary organisation/members club could make, in any period of 12 months, and proposed that there were no justifiable reason for imposing any such limit on premises licences and personal licence holders.  Members agreed to respond to the ongoing Scottish Government Consultation as set out in this paragraph and paragraph 5.2 above.

DECISION

AGREED to respond to the Scottish Government Consultation Paper on Occasional Licences as follows:-

(a)       consideration should be given to increasing the Occasional Licence application fee for premises licences and personal licence holders to £50 and the fee for Occasional Licence by voluntary organisations to £30; and

(b)       that there should be no limit on the number of applications that could be made over a period of 12 months