The Licensing Committee of Haringey Council met on Wednesday 20 May 2026. The primary item scheduled for discussion was the establishment of the Licensing Sub-Committee for the upcoming municipal year, including its terms of reference. Other matters included the usual administrative items such as apologies, urgent business, and declarations of interest.

Establishment of the Licensing Sub-Committee

The committee was scheduled to consider the establishment of a Licensing Sub-Committee for the 2026/27 Municipal Year. The report presented outlined the proposed terms of reference for this sub-committee, which would be responsible for discharging licensing functions as set out in the Council's constitution.

It was proposed that the Licensing Sub-Committee would have the same membership as the main Licensing Committee, with three members appointed for each hearing. The Chair of the Licensing Committee would also chair the Sub-Committee, with the Vice-Chair acting as a substitute. The report noted that while there is no legal requirement for statutory licensing committees to reflect political balance, this has historically been done as a matter of good governance.

The terms of reference for the Licensing Sub-Committee were detailed, covering functions under both the Licensing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2005. These include determining applications for premises licences, provisional statements, and reviews of premises licences where relevant representations have been made. The sub-committee would also handle variations to premises licences, applications to vary designated premises supervisors, and transfers of premises licences following police objections. Under the Gambling Act 2005, its remit would extend to determining applications for variations and transfers of premises licences, as well as applications for club gaming permits and club machine permits where objections are received.

Additionally, the sub-committee would operate as a non-statutory committee with responsibilities for licensing street trading, scrap metal dealing, special treatment premises, sex establishments, and dog breeding establishments. In this capacity, it would make decisions in individual licensing or registration cases requiring a hearing due to objections or officer recommendations for refusal. However, decisions on policy issues, procedures, and standard terms and conditions would remain with the main Licensing Committee.

The report indicated that there were no financial implications arising from the recommendations and that an initial screening of the proposals found no implications for the Council's public sector equality duty under the Equality Act 2010.

The committee was asked to agree to the establishment of the Licensing Sub-Committee, confirm its membership to be the same as the Licensing Committee, and agree to its terms of reference as outlined in the Council's constitution.