The Licensing Committee of Southwark Council met on 1 September 2025 to discuss several items, including a review of the Statement of Licensing Policy. The main focus of the meeting was to consider proposed changes to the existing policy and to agree on arrangements for public consultation. The committee was also scheduled to receive an update on recent appeals and prosecutions.

Review of Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031

The committee was asked to consider a report on the review of the Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031. Section 5 of the Licensing Act 2003 requires licensing authorities to prepare and publish a statement of licensing policy every five years. The report included draft amendments to the policy and sought approval to undertake a public consultation.

The report noted that since the current policy for 2021-2026 was adopted, a number of issues had arisen at licensing sub-committee meetings where clarification had been requested by members, responsible authorities¹ and applicants. The proposed amendments aimed to clarify Southwark's position on these issues.

The report outlined several proposed changes to the policy, including:

• A comprehensive revision to enhance clarity and accessibility.
• An updated structure to better reflect the roles of the Licensing Authority and Licensing Committee.
• A revised section on the purpose and scope of the licensing policy.
• New content clarifying the treatment of personal licence applications.
• Updates to the schedule of delegations.
• Rewording of lead paragraphs in the premises and club licence applications section.
• Relocation of detailed Cumulative Impact Area (CIA) descriptions and maps to an appendix.
• Incorporation of Early Morning Restriction Orders (EMROs) and the Late Night Levy into the same chapter.
• Replacement of 'suggested times' with a table of 'recommended licensable hours'.
• Rewriting of the section on crime and disorder to focus on key issues.
• Streamlining of the public safety section.
• Revision of the prevention of public nuisance section to focus on core issues.
• Removal of outdated content and references in the protection of children from harm section.
• Extension of the submission time for film certifications from one month to two months.
• Updating of enforcement policy matters.
• Updating of contact details in Appendix A.
• Updating of CIA details and mapping in Appendix B.
• Inclusion of references to the Safer Women's Charter² and other safety schemes in Appendix C.
• Inclusion of reference to the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (Martyn's Law).

The report also recommended extending the Late Night Levy to include late night refreshment premises operating between 00:00 (midnight) and 06:00. It was noted that Southwark currently has 114 such premises within its CIAs, and that the approximate revenue generated would be £127,139.

The committee was asked to consider whether to propose any additional areas within the public consultation, including recommended amendments to opening and closing times for licensed premises, and the retention of CIAs in their current geographical state.

The report detailed a proposed consultation process, including circular emails to various stakeholders, advertisement at council offices and on the council website, and a six-week consultation period. The committee was asked to consider whether it wished to amend or add to the proposed consultation questions, which included:

• Whether the amendments to the policy are clear and easily understood.
• Whether the amendments to the policy are balanced, fair and reasonable.

Update on Recent Appeals and Prosecutions

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on recent appeals and prosecutions related to licensing matters.