The Licensing Committee of Ribble Valley Borough Council met on 2 September 2025, and agreed to consult on a revised Statement of Licensing Policy for 2026-2031. The committee also received updates on taxi licensing, licensing enforcement and age verification, and were informed of a new Joint Industry and HM Government Taskforce Report on Licensing Policy.

Here's a breakdown of the key topics discussed:

Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031

The committee approved a draft of the Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031 to form the basis of a consultation. The Licensing Act 2003 requires local authorities to formulate and publish a Statement of Licensing Policy every five years. The current statement is in effect until 6 January 2026, and the revised policy will come into force from January 2026.

The draft policy includes amendments to reflect factual changes since the last review, additional information on issues such as spiking, and initiatives such as Ask Angela . It also reflects updates to statutory guidance, for example in respect of Martyn's Law¹. Appendix 2 has been amended to include further detail on matters applicants should consider when preparing their operating schedules.

The consultation will run from 3 September 2025 to 15 October 2025, and the results will be brought back to the committee on 4 November 2025. The policy would then be referred to full council with a recommendation for approval, so that it would be in place from January 2026.

Review of Taxi Licensing Policy, Procedures and Conditions

The committee were informed of ongoing work to review the council's policy for the licensing of hackney carriage² drivers and vehicles, and private hire operators, drivers and vehicles.

The review is to ensure consistency with updated guidance from the Department for Transport and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, and the Institute of Licensing. A comprehensive report and drafts for consultation will be available for the committee meeting on 4 November 2025.

One aspect of the review relates to the condition for operators to ensure that staff are fit and proper persons. A councillor raised an issue regarding a more explicit condition used by Stockport Council, requiring inspection of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks by the operator and retention of the record of that inspection. This will form part of the draft being prepared for consultation.

Taxi/Private Hire Licensing Operations

The committee were informed of the results of a joint inspection of licensed private hire and hackney carriage vehicles with the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency on 2 July 2025. Of the eight vehicles inspected, seven were licensed by Ribble Valley Borough Council. Seven of those vehicles were found to be of the required standard.

One Ribble Valley licensed vehicle failed to meet the required standard, as the near side rear tyre was below the legal limit and the near side front indicator was inoperative. An immediate prohibition notice was issued for the vehicle and its licence was suspended, but the faults were rectified within three days.

Joint Industry and HM Government Taskforce Report on Licensing Policy

The committee were informed of the work and findings of a Joint Industry and HM Government Taskforce on Licensing Policy. The taskforce was established on 9 April 2025 and ran until 16 May 2025 to review the Licensing Act 2003.

The report considers developments in the last 20 years, including the developments in the hospitality industry and night-time economy, deregulation, customer and community needs and the impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality sector.

The report incorporates various initiatives including:

• introduction of a National Licensing Policy Framework, in order to address a lack of balance in applying the Act
• stronger guidance or a mandatory requirement for licensing authorities to ensure that the agent of change principle is considered when making licensing decisions, such as setting conditions on a licence
• one-time licensing condition amnesty to apply to all licences and to allow a focus on addressing conditions that may be outdated
• reforms for hearings and appeals
• introduction of an arbitration, evidence and data protocol for licensing decisions
• removal of the requirement for hard-copy local newspaper advertisements for applications
• removing regulatory barriers to help premises use their outside spaces.

Age Verification – The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025

The committee were informed of the implications of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 for licensed and gambling premises. The Act creates a legislative foundation for Digital Verification Services (DVS).

When digital identification is presented, checks will be carried out, currently understood to be by reference to QR codes or Near Field Communication (NFC). This will enable customers only to show information to prove their age, differing from traditional forms of ID such as drivers licences which show a home address.

Digital ID will not be obligatory for operators, but the onus will remain on the operator to ensure the digital ID matches the customer providing it. One issue that will need to be addressed is the relevance of existing conditions on premises licences which only permit physical forms of ID.

Licensing Enforcement Update

The committee were provided with an update on licensing enforcement activities from February to July 2025. During this period, the council received eight new licensing enforcement complaints relating to licensed premises. Seven of those complaints were Priority 4 complaints and one was a Priority 3 complaint. Visits were made to each of the premises concerned, and the Designated Premises Supervisor was spoken to and either advised or warned as appropriate in respect of the incident.

Formal licensing inspections were carried out by licensing enforcement officers on:

• 7 February 2025 - premises within Longridge, Whalley and Clitheroe
• 21 March 2025 - premises in Clitheroe, Whalley and Longridge
• 4 April 2025 - premises in Clitheroe, Whalley and Longridge
• 21 May 2025 - premises in Clitheroe, Whalley and Longridge
• June & July 2025 - all premises in the borough which have a new Designated Premises Supervisor.

The inspections included discussions with the Designated Premises Supervisor (where applicable) and staff, and licence conditions were checked. In particular, checks were carried out in respect of the:

• Age verification policy and Challenge 25
• Misuse of Drugs policy
• Refusals and incidents register and procedure
• SIA accreditation for door staff.

The Licensing Enforcement Officer also attended Pubwatch meetings in Clitheroe and Whalley during this period.

As a result of continuing issues raised in respect to the nighttime economy in Whalley, the current provision of CCTV cameras has been considered. The council has raised this issue with the police who have confirmed that they would be supportive of the further exploration of whether it is possible to install an additional camera in the vicinity of Accrington Road and Queen Street. The council will now progress this matter with Lancashire County Council as Highway Authority, the electricity providers and internally to ensure that all necessary requirements are met.

The Licensing Enforcement Officer has visited all premises within Clitheroe providing outdoor seating/tables and advised them that they require a Pavement Licence. This will be followed up with a stepped approach as per the policy. The same approach will be followed with regard to the remainder of the borough.

Ribble Valley Event Safety Advisory Group (RVESAG)

The committee received the Minutes ESAG meeting - 13.2.25.

The Chairman worked through the calendar of events in date order. The following points of note were raised:

Past Events

• Gisburne Park Bonfire 2 November 2024 - A complaint had been made regarding the safety measures in place for the event, particularly that the safety zone around the bonfire was not big enough.
• Low Moor Bonfire 2 November 2024 - A complaint had been made that the bonfire was too big for the space, that the safety zone was too small and people had been injured by fireworks/bonfire embers.
• Santa Dash, Longridge 30 November 2024 - there was one complaint regarding noise.
• Carols at the Castle 5 December 2024 - Concern had been raised as to the capacity of the event regarding fire exits. This event had not been reported to ESAG prior to going ahead. The organiser had been contacted, who advised that he not been aware of ESAG and apologised. He had explained that there had been a miscommunication over the radios which led to more people being in the bandstand than there should have been. He further explained the position with regards to emergency floodlighting. The organiser gave assurances that ESAG would be notified prior to next years event and that reviews of their procedures/safety measures would be undertaken.

The policy had been updated since the last meeting with further detail in section 7 regarding the timeframes required for road closures.

The Chairman provided an update on upcoming improvements being carried out at Market Place, Clitheroe between May – July 2025.

Sub-Committee of the Licensing Committee

The committee received the Minutes 07022025 Sub-Committee of the Licensing Committee.

The Sub-Committee met to consider the application by The Higher Buck Limited for a premises licence in respect of the Wild Buck, Clitheroe Road, Waddington BB7 3HP.

The Licensing Sub-Committee gave careful consideration to the representations made by all parties, both verbal and written. The Sub-Committee also considered the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003, the Statutory Guidance, the licensing objectives, the relevant regulations and the Council's licensing policy.

Having considered all of the above the Sub-Committee resolved to grant the Applicant's application for a premises licence, albeit with reduced hours for serving alcohol until 9pm and subject to additional appropriate conditions.