The Licensing Panel of Harrow Council met on Wednesday 20 August 2025 to consider an application to review the premises licence for Mumbai Local, a restaurant located at 238-240 Streatfield Road, Harrow. Following extensive discussion and consideration of evidence presented by the Home Office and the Licensing Authority, the panel decided to revoke the premises licence for Mumbai Local.

Review of Premises Licence for Mumbai Local

The primary focus of the meeting was the application for a review of the premises licence for Mumbai Local, located at 238-240 Streatfield Road, Harrow, HA3 9BX. The application was submitted by the Home Office under Section 51 of the Licensing Act 2003, citing breaches of the licensing objective to prevent crime and disorder.

The Home Office presented evidence of two enforcement visits to the premises. The first visit, on 18 November 2023, found six individuals working at the restaurant without the right to work in the UK, with four having no right to work and two in breach of their visa conditions. A subsequent visit on 4 July 2024 resulted in the arrest of another individual found to have no right to work. Crucially, one of the individuals found working illegally in November 2023 was again encountered working at the premises in July 2024. This repeated occurrence was highlighted as evidence of a continuous pattern of unlawful working and a failure by the premises to uphold immigration law.

The report detailed the findings of these visits, including interviews with staff and the manager. It was noted that workers were allegedly being paid below the National Minimum Wage, suggesting potential labour exploitation. The Home Office argued that these breaches undermined the licensing objective of preventing crime and disorder and requested the revocation of the premises licence.

The Licensing Authority, represented by Jhini Mukherjee, Commercial Licensing Team Lead, formally supported the Home Office's application for review. The Authority expressed significant concern about the management's ability to uphold licensing objectives due to repeated immigration breaches. While supporting the call for revocation, the Licensing Authority also proposed a comprehensive set of conditions that could be added to the licence should the panel decide to retain it. These proposed conditions covered all four licensing objectives: prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance, and protection of children from harm. They included requirements for staff training on immigration law, maintenance of staff registers, CCTV systems, fire safety, and adherence to a Challenge 25 policy for alcohol sales.

The panel considered the arguments presented, including the statutory guidance issued under Section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, which states that premises used for criminal purposes, such as employing illegal workers, should be taken particularly seriously, and that revocation should be seriously considered, even in the first instance. The council's Statement of Licensing Policy was also referenced, outlining the factors the panel could consider when assessing licensing objectives.

After reviewing all the evidence and representations, the Licensing Panel made the decision to revoke the premises licence for Mumbai Local. This decision was based on the repeated breaches of immigration law and the subsequent undermining of the crime prevention licensing objective. The panel concluded that the actions taken by the Home Office and the Licensing Authority were appropriate and proportionate in response to the serious nature of the offences.