The Statutory Licensing Committee of Wolverhampton Council convened to review decision-making processes for the previous year and approve the scheme of delegation for the upcoming year. The committee endorsed and approved the proposals for category two and three decisions, delegated category three decision-making powers to the Director of Resident Services, and agreed to receive further annual delegation update reports.

Review into Decision Making 2023-2024 and Scheme of Delegation for 2024-2025

Paul Doshorn, the Service Manager for Trading Standards and Licensing Act, presented the annual review of decision-making for 2023-2024 and the proposed scheme of delegation for 2024-2025. He noted that the decision-making system has remained unchanged since 2012, categorising decisions into three levels. Most contentious issues are handled by the committee, while routine matters are managed by officers.

Doshorn highlighted that 70 decisions were made under the Licensing Act last year, with 19 reviewed by the committee. This was a slight increase from the previous year, which saw 68 decisions with 12 reviewed by the committee. He also mentioned minor changes in the scheme of delegation, specifically on pages 28 and 33 of the agenda pack, where the authority to act as a responsible authority under the Licensing Act and Gambling Act was transferred from the Commercial Regulation Manager to the Service Manager for Trading Standards and Licensing Act.

Councillor Jane Francis raised a question regarding the occasional use notice on page 31, asking what happens if there are representations. Doshorn clarified that if there are representations, the matter escalates to the committee level.

The committee approved the recommendations outlined in the report, including the delegation of category three decision-making powers and the receipt of annual delegation update reports.

Questions and Approval

Councillor Jane Francis queried the process for occasional use notices when representations are made. Doshorn explained that such cases would escalate to the committee level for a decision. The committee then voted to endorse and approve the proposals in sections two and three of the report, delegate category three decision-making powers to the Director of Resident Services, and receive further annual delegation update reports.

The committee also noted the schedules attached to the appendices, which included proposed delegations from the Director of Resident Services for 2024-2025, the schedule of employee decisions for 2023-2024, and the schedule of decisions related to magistrates and crown court appeals.