The Licensing Committee of Cardiff Council was scheduled to discuss a review of the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy. This policy outlines how the council will regulate licensable activities to promote the four statutory licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. The meeting's agenda also included the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting and any urgent items.

Review of the Statement of Licensing Policy

The primary item scheduled for discussion was the review of Cardiff Council's Statement of Licensing Policy (SLP) for the period 2026-2031. This review is a statutory requirement under the Licensing Act 2003, which mandates that licensing authorities review and publish their policies at least every five years. The draft revised policy, detailed in the Public reports pack 15th-Apr-2026 10.00 Licensing Committee.pdf, aimed to ensure that Cardiff's licensing standards remain aligned with current Home Office guidance and address operational challenges within the city's night-time economy and retail sectors.

The report pack indicated that the policy had been updated following a public consultation period. Key changes and considerations arising from this consultation included:

• Alcohol Deliveries: A new sub-section was proposed to address the growing sector of alcohol deliveries, outlining factors the authority would consider, such as robust age verification at the point of handover and measures to mitigate risks associated with deliveries to open-air spaces. This was in response to concerns raised by Alcohol Change UK regarding weak age verification and deliveries to intoxicated persons.
• Cardiff NIGHT Forum: Formal recognition was proposed for the Cardiff NIGHT Forum (formerly the Licensee's Forum) within the policy, acknowledging its role as a conduit between the licensed trade, the council, and South Wales Police. The Forum also sought clarity on licensing conditions for Major Event Days and the management of customer movement in outdoor spaces.
• Public Health and Health Inequalities: The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) suggested incorporating a section on the relationship between alcohol and health inequalities to further frame the licensing process towards harm prevention. The UHB also highlighted the policy's alignment with the 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales' strategy and expressed a desire to explore how the Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) could support a more balanced high street by managing the density of hot food takeaways.
• Safeguarding: Cardiff Council Corporate Safeguarding provided recommendations to align the policy with the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. This included updating terminology from vulnerable adults to adults at risk, broadening harm definitions, and incorporating explicit Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) requirements for staff at under-18 events. The policy was also to be updated to include guidance from the national Prevent strategy regarding terrorism awareness and to strengthen expectations for licensed premises to share intelligence regarding safeguarding hotspots.
• Operation Makesafe: The Policy, Partnerships and Community Engagement team requested the formal incorporation of Operation Makesafe, a South Wales Police-led initiative aimed at increasing awareness of child sexual exploitation (CSE) within the hospitality and licensed sectors, as an example of best practice.
• Wider Regulatory Context: The policy was to be updated to include reference to the UK Government's National Licensing Policy Framework and to acknowledge the way licensing sits within a wider regulatory context, including its links to taxi and private hire licensing.

The report indicated that the amended Statement of Licensing Policy was to be submitted to Full Council for formal adoption. The Item 4 - Cover Report.pdf provided an overview of the report, while Item 4 - Appendix A.pdf contained the consultation responses and officer responses, and Item 4 - Appendix B.pdf detailed the delegation of functions. The Item 4 - SIA.pdf contained the Single Impact Assessment for the proposal.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee was also scheduled to approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 19 November 2025. The Minutes 19112025.pdf document would have been presented for confirmation.

The meeting was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, at 10:00 AM in Committee Room 4 at County Hall.