The Licensing Committee of Wandsworth Council met to consider a range of issues relating to licensed premises in the borough. Included in the reports pack were proposals to update the Council's fees for issuing various licences for gambling premises and a report about the adoption of a new Cumulative Impact Assessment for Wandsworth.

Cumulative Impact Assessment for Wandsworth

The report pack includes a draft Cumulative Impact Assessment which was scheduled to be considered for adoption.

The aim of a cumulative impact policy is to ensure that the number, type and density of licensed premises in a particular area does not undermine the licensing objectives.

The draft assessment divides the borough into different zones, each with its own specific characteristics. The assessment examines the potential impact of new licensed premises on the licensing objectives, which are:

• The prevention of crime and disorder
• Public safety
• The prevention of public nuisance
• The protection of children from harm

The assessment identifies several areas in Wandsworth where there is a high concentration of licensed premises. The report pack notes that these areas are:

• Putney
• Roehampton
• Tooting
• Wandsworth Town Centre

The report pack includes maps of each of the areas that are covered by the assessment, showing the locations of existing licensed premises.

Review of Fees for Gambling Premises Licences

The report pack includes a proposal to update the Council's fees for a range of licences for gambling premises. The report pack notes that the Gambling Act 2005 requires the Council to set fees that cover the cost of administering gambling licences and that the Council has generally set its fees at the maximum allowed under the Act.

The report pack sets out the existing fees and the proposed fees for each type of licence. The proposed fees are largely unchanged from the existing fees, although there is a proposed reduction to the fee for transferring a licence. The report pack explains that this is to better reflect the costs of processing transfer applications. The report pack also provides details of the number of each type of licence in the borough, noting that:

Anecdotally it is anticipated that [the number of betting shops] will reduce further due to a shift towards online betting amongst customers.