The Licensing Sub-Committee of Ealing Council was scheduled to consider a review of the premises licence for AK Food & Wine, located at 416 Greenford Road, Greenford. The meeting's agenda also included a review of the panel procedure guidance note.

Review of AK Food & Wine

The primary item scheduled for discussion was a review of the premises licence for AK Food & Wine, located at 416 Greenford Road, Greenford, UB6 9AH. The application for this review was made by Ealing Council's Licensing Enforcement and Compliance Team.

The report pack indicated that the licensable activities authorised by the current licence for AK Food & Wine include the retail sale of alcohol for off-supplies, with operating hours from Monday to Thursday between 08:00 and 23:00, Friday to Saturday from 09:00 to 23:00, and on Sundays from 10:00 to 22:30. The premises opening hours are Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 23:00, and Sunday from 10:00 to 22:30.

The report highlighted that AK Food & Wine is located within a Special Policy Area as defined in the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy. This policy outlines core hours for the provision of late-night refreshment and the supply of alcohol. For premises selling alcohol off the premises, the core hours are Monday to Thursday from 08:00 to 23:30, and Friday to Saturday from 10:00 to 00:00 (midnight). Applications outside these core hours are considered on their own merit.

The report detailed an inspection conducted on Tuesday, 23 December 2025, by officers from Licensing and Trading Standards. During this inspection, illicit cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco, and shisha were reportedly found hidden in a locked store outside the shop and behind a counter inside. Additionally, miniature spirits were discovered, which were alleged to be in breach of condition 17 of the premises licence. The total seizure included 7,100 packets of cigarettes, 37 non-compliant vapes, 400g of RYO tobacco, and 8kg of shisha. The unpaid duty was estimated at £3,310.

The report stated that the Premises Licence Holder was failing to promote the Prevention of Crime and Disorder licensing objective. It was noted that the trade in illegal goods undermines legitimate traders and can fund organised crime. The report recommended that the premises licence be revoked due to the alleged serious incident and disregard for the law.

The report also referred to the Council's Statement of Licensing Policy, which sets out proposed standards and controls to promote the four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. The report mentioned that conditions can only be imposed where appropriate to promote these objectives and must be focused on matters within the control of the licensee.

The report also drew attention to the potential implications of the Human Rights Act 1998, specifically Article 6 (right to a fair trial), Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life), and Article 1 of the First Protocol (protection of property).

The documents provided included the Public reports pack for the meeting here and the Agenda frontsheet here.

Panel Procedure Guidance Note

The committee was also scheduled to consider a Panel Procedure Guidance Note, detailed on pages 3-4 of the public reports pack. This guidance would have outlined the procedures to be followed during the Licensing Sub-Committee hearings.