The Licensing Committee of Westminster City Council convened to discuss several key issues, including proposed amendments to the council's Licensing Act 2003 model conditions, the performance of the licensing service, and an update on licensing appeals. The committee approved the proposed changes to the model conditions, and delegated authority to the Director of Public Protection and Licensing to make further changes as needed. They also noted reports on the performance of the licensing service and recent licensing appeals.

Amendment to Licensing Act 2003 Model Conditions

The committee approved amendments to the council's Licensing Act 2003 model conditions¹, which are used to ensure a consistent approach to licensing decisions. The last update to these conditions was in 2021.

The revisions aim to ensure the conditions remain appropriate, enforceable and promote the licensing objectives². The changes reflect feedback from applicants, objectors, the Licensing Advice Project at Citizens Advice Westminster, responsible authorities, and learnings from appeals and hearings.

Key changes to the model conditions include:

• CCTV Systems: Clarifying requirements for CCTV systems, including coverage of entry and exit points, recording during licensable activities, storage of recordings for a minimum of 31 days, and immediate availability of recordings to police or authorised officers.
• Door Supervisors: Specifying the minimum number of SIA[^3] licensed door supervisors required, and requiring door supervisors to visibly display their SIA licenses. A risk assessment by a competent person is required to determine the need for door supervisors. [^3]: SIA refers to the Security Industry Authority, which regulates the private security industry.
• Body Worn Video (BWV): Ensuring that all licensed SIA door staff are equipped with body worn video (BWV) capable of recording audio and video in any light condition, with recordings stored for a minimum of 31 days and made available to police or authorised council officers upon request.
• Search Conditions: Mandating searches of all persons entering or re-entering the premises by an SIA licensed member of staff, monitored by CCTV.
• Noise Limiters: Specifying requirements for noise limiters on musical amplification systems, including setting levels to the satisfaction of an Environmental Health Officer, securing the operational panel, and preventing alterations without prior written agreement.
• Queue Management: Ensuring that queues to enter the premises are orderly and supervised by door staff to prevent public nuisance or obstruction of the public highway.
• Alcohol Strength: Prohibiting the sale of super-strength beer, lagers, ciders, or spirit mixtures of 5.5% ABV (alcohol by volume) or above, removing the exception for premium products due to enforceability issues.
• Waste Management: Allowing waste and recyclable materials to be moved or removed in accordance with Westminster's scheduled waste collection times.
• Off-Premises Alcohol Sales: Requiring that sales of alcohol for consumption off the premises be ancillary to food available for take-away or delivery.
• Challenge 21/25: Operating a Challenge 21 or Challenge 25 proof of age scheme, accepting only recognised photographic identification cards with a PASS Hologram[^4]. [^4]: The Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) is a UK organisation that approves proof of age cards.
• Incident Log: Maintaining an incident log at the premises, recording all crimes, ejections, complaints, incidents of disorder, seizures of drugs or weapons, CCTV faults, refusals of alcohol sales, and visits by relevant authorities or emergency services.
• Re-entry Policy: Preventing patrons who temporarily leave the premises from taking drinks or glass containers with them.
• Sporting Events: Implementing measures during designated sporting events, including limiting alcohol sales, ceasing sales one hour before the event, and preventing external advertising that induces attendance.
• Outdoor Supervision: Ensuring that patrons drinking or smoking outside the premises do so in an orderly manner and are supervised by staff or door supervisors.
• Sexual Entertainment: Explicitly stating that striptease or nudity is prohibited unless the premises holds a Sexual Entertainment Venue licence.
• Shadow Licence: Clarifying the conditions under which a shadow licence[^5] takes effect. [^5]: A shadow licence is a licence that is granted but does not come into effect until the existing licence is no longer in operation.
• Dispersal Policy: Requiring compliance with a dispersal plan, including management of customers outside the premises, quiet arrival, departure, and dispersal, with training for staff and regular reviews of the plan.
• Event Management Plan: Presenting an event management plan to authorised officers at least 28 days before an event, including details on various aspects such as access management, adverse weather, alcohol management, and security.
• Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) Training: Ensuring that management and relevant staff complete Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training every six months.
• Customer Welfare Officer: Employing a customer welfare officer to ensure customer care is given to vulnerable persons, easily identifiable by customers.
• Staff Training: Ensuring all staff who are customer facing, supplying alcohol or responsible for the selling of alcohol receive regular training and refresher training at intervals of no more than 12 months in terms of the promotion of the licensing objectives, offences committed under the Act and conditions of the Premises Licence.

The committee delegated authority to the Director of Public Protection and Licensing to make further changes to the pool of conditions, in consultation with the Chair of the Licensing Committee, Councillor Aziz Toki.

Performance of the Licensing Service

The committee reviewed a report on the performance of the Licensing Service, which handles approximately 25 different licensing regimes, including those governed by the Licensing Act 2003, Gambling Act 2005, London Local Authorities Act 1991/2000, Zoo Licensing Act 1981, and others.

The report highlighted that the service typically receives around 8,000 applications per year, but this has increased to over 10,000 in recent years. In the last two financial years, the service received 10,362 and 10,021 applications respectively.

The report also noted that Pavement Licences determined under the Business and Planning Act 2020 became a permanent licensing regime on 31 March 2024, and that the council set the licensing fees at £500 for new applications and £350 for renewal applications.

The Licensing Service has an internal key performance indicator for processing applications within 2 working days of receipt. Over the last 2 financial years, more than 98% of applications were processed within this deadline.

The report also detailed the role of the Licensing Authority in raising representations to applications, particularly those for new and variations of premises licences located within the cumulative impact zone³ and contrary to the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy. In 2024/2025, the Licensing Authority raised over 100 representations to these applications.

The report also highlighted several projects undertaken by the Licensing Service, including the development of a bespoke finance system for the Street Licensing Team, and the development of an entirely new system for processing licensing applications.

Update of Licensing Appeals

The committee received a report providing a summary of recent appeal results. Legal Services has been dealing with ten pending licensing appeals since March 2025. Five appeals have been settled, one withdrawn, two new appeals received, leaving six pending appeals.

As of the meeting, 503 licensing appeals have been received since the council took over the licensing functions from the Magistrates' Court in February 2005. 497 of these appeals have been heard / settled / withdrawn, leaving six to be determined.

Some specific cases mentioned in the report included:

• Vanity Bar and Night Club at 4 Carlisle Street, London, W1D 3BJ: An appeal to the Crown Court was settled, with the SEV Licence reinstated subject to 59 conditions, and the appellant paying costs of £2,562.50 to the council.
• Sunset Strip, 30 Dean Street, London, W1D 3QL: An appeal against the revocation of the SEV licence was withdrawn, but the appeal against the revocation of the premises licence remains pending.
• 13 Meard Street, London, W1F 0ES: The Soho Society appealed the decision to grant a new premises licence to Green Room Distillery. The appeal took place on the 29 April and 1 May in Westminster Magistrates' Court before a District Judge. The District Judge will give his judgement on 13 June 2025 and members will be updated as to the outcome.
• Blue Note Jazz, 42 - 49 St Martin's Lane WC2N 4EJ: The Appellant has appealed the Decision to the Westminster Magistrates' Court and the Parties have asked for the appeal to be stayed as a revised licence application was submitted to the Licensing Authority and approved subject to conditions on 1 May 2025. The Appellant will withdraw the appeal once the appeal period for the second application has expired, provided no appeal is issued by any of the parties who made representations to that application.
• Sunny Corner, 353 Harrow Road London W9 3NA: This is an appeal against the decision of the Licensing Sub-Committee of 5 December 2024 to revoke the licence following the review brought by the Licensing Authority in relation to this convenience shop which has a late-night refreshment licence, on the grounds that the operators were exceeding the permitted licensing hours and not complying with all the conditions on the licence.
• Concept, 37 Duke Street, London: The substantive appeal was withdrawn, and the Magistrates' Court approved a Consent Order that costs of £25,000.00 are to be paid to Westminster City Council in respect of the contested Interim Steps hearing by Electshow Limited and its Directors, Mr Waqas Ahmad and Mr Ming Hua Shi, and that costs of £16,000.00 are to be paid by Electshow Limited and its Directors, Mr Waqas Ahmad and Mr Ming Hua Shi for the preparation of the substantive appeal.
• Albert Scholls 20-24 Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 7EU: This is an appeal of a variation of premises licence determined by the Sub-Committee on the 23 January 2025. A date for the case management hearing has yet to be given by the court where the matter will be set down for directions and a final hearing.
• Daylesford Organic Limited, 44 Pimlico Road London SW1W 8LP: This is an appeal made by a resident, Mr Emanuele Tosetti of the Licensing Sub-Committee's decision of 24 October 2024 to vary the premises licence. A Case Management Hearing will be arranged by the Court to set a date for the hearing and to direct the disclosure of evidence by the Parties.

The committee also discussed the prosecution by Global Radio⁴ under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, alleging that the council was failing to stop buskers causing a statutory nuisance when they perform.

The Council has appealed to the Crown Court against the sentence imposed by the District Judge. The Council argues that the effect of the Abatement Order is too restrictive in controlling all buskers for the whole of Leicester Square and instead should have been limited to the single amplified pitch 9, that was the basis of the Global Radio case.