The Licensing Committee of Northumberland County Council met to discuss a refresh of their licensing policies under the Gambling Act 2005 and the Licensing Act 2003. The meeting also included a quarterly activity update, and a discussion of the date of the next meeting.

Refresh of Licensing Policies

The committee was scheduled to discuss the refresh of two key licensing policies:

Gambling Act 2005

The Gambling Act 2005 requires the council to publish a licensing policy that sets out the principles it applies when regulating gambling activity. The report pack included a proposed timetable for refreshing this policy, for the committee to approve and oversee.

The proposed timetable included:

• October 2025: Agreement of approach by the Licensing Committee.
• November 2025: Policy development, shaping initial proposals by officers and partners.
• January 2026: Approval of initial proposals by the Cabinet.
• January/February 2026: Consideration of initial proposals by the Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
• January/February 2026: Public consultation by officers.
• February 2026: Policy development, shaping final proposals by officers.
• March 2026: Agreement of final proposals by the Licensing Committee.
• March 2026: Consideration of final proposals by the Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee (if requested).
• April 2026: Approval of final proposals by the Cabinet.
• April 2026: Adoption of final proposals by the Council.

The refreshed policy is to be prepared in line with the requirements of the 2005 Act and the statutory guidance provided to licensing authorities by the Gambling Commission updated in July 2025. The report pack stated that it is a requirement to formally consult with Northumbria Police, gambling businesses, and anyone likely to be affected by the decisions made.

Licensing Act 2003

The Licensing Act 2003 requires the council to publish a licensing policy that sets out the principles it applies when regulating activity related to alcohol, entertainment and late-night refreshment. The report pack included a proposed timetable for refreshing this policy, for the committee to approve and oversee. The licensing policy will need to be refreshed by the end of April 2027.

The proposed timetable included:

• October 2025: Approval of approach by Licensing Committee
• March 2026: Policy development – shaping initial proposals by officers and partners
• August 2026: Approval of initial proposals by Cabinet
• September 2026: Consideration of initial proposals by Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee
• September 2026: Public consultation by officers
• January 2027: Policy development – shaping final proposals by officers
• February 2027: Agreement of final proposals by Licensing Committee
• February 2027: Consideration of final proposals [if requested] by Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee
• March 2027: Approval of final proposals by Cabinet
• April 2027: Adoption of final proposals by Council

The refreshed policy will be prepared in line with the requirements of the 2003 Act and the statutory guidance issued by the Home Office, updated in February 2025. The report pack stated that it is a requirement to formally consult with Northumbria Police, Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service, the Director of Public Health, and a representation of licence holders, businesses and residents.

The report pack noted that the authority can look to adopt a cumulative impact assessment (CIA) setting out any evidence that an area is suffering from problems due to high concentrations of licensed premises. If evidence from the CIA supports it, a cumulative impact policy (CIP) can be adopted and included within the new policy. This would provide a regulatory tool to limit the number of licensed premises in an area.

Quarterly Activity Update

The Licensing Committee was scheduled to receive an update on licenses determined by Subcommittee and delegated officers over Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 of this financial year.

The report pack included data on licensable activity between October and December 2024:

• Licensing Act 2003:
  • 10 new premises licences were issued, bringing the total to 1547.
  • 3 variations of premises licences were issued.
  • 10 minor variations of premises licences were issued.
  • No new club premises certificates were issued, with the total remaining at 134.
  • No variations of club premises certificates were issued.
  • No minor variations of club premises certificates were issued.
  • 204 temporary event notices (TEN) were issued.
  • 24 transfers of premises licences were processed.
  • 55 variations of a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) were processed.
  • 42 personal licences were issued, bringing the total to 5207.
• Gambling Act 2005:
  • No premises licences were issued, with the total remaining at 48.
  • No unlicensed Family Entertainment Centre (UFEC) licences were issued, with the total remaining at 13.
  • No prize gaming permits were issued, with the total remaining at 0.
  • 2 automatic entitlement gaming machine permits were issued, bringing the total to 233.
  • No gaming machine permits were issued, with the total remaining at 21.
  • No club gaming permits were issued, with the total remaining at 1.
  • No club machine permits were issued, with the total remaining at 42.
  • 4 occasional use notices were issued, bringing the total to 298.
  • No temporary use notices were issued, with the total remaining at 0.
  • 89 new small lottery licences were issued, bringing the total to 382.

The report pack also included a schedule of Subcommittee decisions:

• 21 August 2025: An application for a Premises Licence was granted with additional conditions, following representations from Interested Parties on the grounds of Public Nuisance, Crime and Disorder, Public Safety, and Protection of children from harm.
• 27 August 2025: An application for a Premises Licence was granted with additional conditions, following representations from Interested Parties on the grounds of Public Nuisance.
• 11th September 2025: An application for a Premises Licence was granted with additional conditions offered by the applicant, following representations from Interested Parties on the grounds of Public Nuisance, Crime and Disorder, Public Safety, and Protection of children from harm.