The Licensing and General Purposes Committee met on Wednesday 6 November 2024 to discuss and approve a revised Gambling Policy for public consultation. The committee resolved to approve the draft policy for consultation, authorising the Acting Strategic Director of Culture, Environment and Economy to commence this process.

Revised Statement of Gambling Policy

The committee approved the draft Gambling Policy (Statement of Principles) for public consultation. This policy, which is required to be updated every three years under the Gambling Act 2005, had last been revised in 2022. An officer presented the report, noting that the proposed changes were minor, primarily involving updates to numbering, references, website links, and local information. Two lines were removed from the review section to allow for approval by a senior officer rather than a Head of Service.

The consultation process will involve the police, fire service, businesses, and other interested parties. Efforts will be made to engage with those less digitally able, including an approach to the Conversation Café . A member raised a question regarding the number of betting machines permitted in premises and any guidelines on this matter. The officer undertook to provide this information.

The committee resolved to:

• Approve the draft Gambling Policy (Statement of Principles) for consultation.
• Authorise the Acting Strategic Director of Culture, Environment and Economy to commence the public consultation and report back to the committee.
• Note that the draft policy would also be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee before being recommended to the full Council for approval.

The meeting, which commenced at 6:00 pm, concluded at 6:09 pm.