The Merton Council Licensing Committee met to discuss the draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031, and to review the minutes of their previous meeting. The meeting was scheduled to take place at the Merton Civic Centre.

Here's a breakdown of the key items from the agenda:

Draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031

The committee was scheduled to consider a report on the draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031. Under section 5(1) of the Licensing Act 2003¹, the council is required to review and republish its Statement of Licensing Policy every five years. The current policy, published in January 2021, expires in January 2026.

The report pack states that the Licensing Authority must keep its policy under review and may make revisions within the five-year period if deemed appropriate, for example, in light of feedback from the local community, statutory authorities, or changes in legislation.

The report pack notes that the next successive period starts on 6 January 2026, and before issuing the Statement of Licensing Policy, the Authority is required to consult on the proposed content and consider the results of that consultation.

The draft Statement of Licensing Policy was included in the report pack as Appendix A, with the current Statement of Licensing Policy attached as Appendix B. The Policy Statement has been drawn up based on the existing Policy, council strategies, and having regard to changes in legislation and Government Guidance.

The report pack outlines several proposed amendments to the existing Licensing Policy:

• Additions to the glossary of terms.
• Addition of an Executive Summary.
• Removal of sections that merely reiterate legislation.
• Drafting changes to make the Policy clearer.
• Referring readers to the council's website for up-to-date information.
• Expanding the section profiling the Borough.
• Adding new paragraphs setting out other visions for the council's policy.
• Expanding on information provided for Cumulative Impact², including listing exceptions to Wimbledon Town Centre and Mitcham Town Centre Cumulative Impact Zones.
• Adding a new paragraph on ending violence against women and girls' strategy.
• Adding a new paragraph for applicants that offer delivery services.
• Adding a new paragraph on Environmental best practice in licensed venues.
• Adding a new paragraph for one-off events.
• Adding a new paragraph on guidance for minor variation applications for premises licences.
• Including a new delegation to consider extending a time limit for licensing hearings where it is considered necessary in the public interest.
• Replacing Appendix 3 with the revised Cumulative Impact Assessment approved by the Licensing Committee on 22 February 2024.

The report pack states that before adopting a Licensing Policy, the Authority is required to consult with:

• the chief officer of police for the area;
• the fire and rescue authority for the area;
• each local authority's Director of Public Health in England (DPH);
• persons/bodies representative of local premises licence holders;
• persons/bodies representative of local club premises certificate holders;
• persons/bodies representative of local personal licence holders; and
• persons/bodies representative of businesses and residents in its area.

The report pack also notes that the consultation will be posted on the council's website, e-newsletters to residents, and social media platforms. It is proposed that a minimum twelve-week public consultation be undertaken on the proposed draft Statement of Licensing Policy commencing on 16 June 2025 and ending on 8 September 2025.

The timetable outlined in the report pack suggests that comments received during the public consultation period and the final draft Statement of Licensing Policy will be submitted before the Licensing Committee on 15 October 2025, and the Statement of Licensing Policy will go to Full Council meeting for adoption on 19 November 2025.

The report pack presents three available options:

• Approve the draft Statement of Licensing Policy for public consultation as set out in Appendix A.
• Approve part of the changes made to the Policy.
• Do nothing.

The recommendation in the report pack is that the Licensing Committee approve the draft Statement of Licensing Policy as set out in Appendix A for public consultation.

The report pack states that feedback received from the public consultation will be reported back to the Licensing Committee scheduled on 15 October 2025 for further consideration.