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Licensing Panel - Wednesday, 2 October 2024 7:30 pm

October 2, 2024 View on council website
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Summary

This meeting of the Licensing Panel was scheduled to include a report about the applications for a street trading licence and the adoption of guidance on how councillors should declare conflicts of interest.

Application for a Street Trading Licence

Mr Ashok Kumar applied to Hounslow Council for a temporary street trading licence for a trailer to be called Balaji's Food Magic.

The trailer was proposed to be sited in the car park of New Way International Ltd, Britannia House, Pier Road, Feltham between 9am and 7pm, Monday to Friday. The applicant sought permission to operate from the site for a period of six months.

One objection to the application was received, on the grounds that:

if people are standing/waiting at that truck they are going to be at risk of being hit by cars/trucks.

— , Balaji's Food Magic - Appendix C

Mr Kumar responded to the objector, and copied the Licensing Team into his response, saying:

"To address this, we could consider a few options:

Alternative Location: We could explore placing the food truck in a different area that minimizes the impact on the parking space and pedestrian flow. I AM GOING TO USE THIS SPACE JUST FOR 3-4 MONTHS!! With the permissionofNEWWAY INTERNATIONAL .IN-BETWEEN this time period I am about to learn how this all will work.

Time Adjustments: If the timing of the food truck's presence is flexible, scheduling it during off-peak hours might help reduce potential disruptions. My only agenda is to make people's taste buds dance with my food ,and not to hurt them in any way.. I Really respect your understanding.

Signage and Traffic Management: Implementing clear signage and a system to manage the queue could also help ensure safety and smooth flow."

— Ashok Kumar, Balaji's Food Magic - Appendix D

The meeting was to decide whether to grant the application in part or in full, to refuse the application, or to grant the application subject to extra conditions being applied.

The meeting was also scheduled to consider the Hounslow Street Trading Policy as part of its deliberations.

Declaring Interests

The Monitoring Officer1 included guidance on how Councillors should declare conflicts of interest under the Localism Act 2011.

The guidance explains to Councillors that if they have a close personal or financial connection to someone who has made an application to the council, they are obliged to declare this as a conflict of interest. If the conflict is significant enough, they may have to leave the room while the application is discussed and voted on.


  1. The Monitoring Officer is a statutory officer appointed to promote ethical standards within a local authority and to oversee their compliance with the Localism Act 2011. The act sets out a range of measures aimed at devolving greater powers to local councils and communities. 

Attendees

Profile image for Councillor Madeeha Asim
Councillor Madeeha Asim  Labour •  Feltham West
Profile image for Councillor Rasheed Bhatti
Councillor Rasheed Bhatti  Labour •  Hounslow Central
Profile image for Councillor Unsa Chaudri
Councillor Unsa Chaudri  Labour and Co-operative Party •  Osterley & Spring Grove
Licensing Enforcement
Profile image for Councillor Richard Foote
Councillor Richard Foote  Labour and Co-operative Party •  Hanworth Village
Avas Gauher
Profile image for Councillor Gabriella Giles
Councillor Gabriella Giles  Conservative •  Chiswick Riverside
Profile image for Councillor Vickram Grewal
Councillor Vickram Grewal  Labour •  Cranford
Profile image for Councillor Riaz Gull
Councillor Riaz Gull  Labour and Co-operative Party •  Heston Central
Kerry Holloway
Profile image for Councillor Gurmail Lal
Councillor Gurmail Lal  Labour •  Heston East
Profile image for Councillor Amritpal Mann
Councillor Amritpal Mann  Workers Party of Britain •  Heston East
Steven Maunders
Profile image for Councillor Junue Meah
Councillor Junue Meah  Labour •  Hounslow East
Profile image for Councillor Samina Nagra
Councillor Samina Nagra  Labour •  Feltham North
Profile image for Councillor Sayyar Raza
Councillor Sayyar Raza  Labour •  Hounslow South
Profile image for Councillor Daanish Saeed
Councillor Daanish Saeed  Labour •  Hounslow East
Profile image for Councillor Aftab Siddiqui
Councillor Aftab Siddiqui  Labour •  Osterley & Spring Grove
Profile image for Councillor John Todd
Councillor John Todd  Conservative •  Chiswick Homefields