The Licensing Committee of Northumberland Council was scheduled to receive an update on licensable activities and policy development. The meeting's agenda included a review of licences determined by subcommittees and delegated officers during the third quarter of the financial year, alongside an update on ongoing policy development work.

Quarterly Activity Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on licensable activities administered and enforced by Northumberland County Council under the Licensing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2005. This report, titled Quarterly Activity Update Quarterly Activity Update.pdf, was intended to provide information on licences determined by subcommittees and delegated officers during Quarter 3 of the financial year. It also covered policy development work being undertaken.

The report indicated that drafting of the updated policy for the Gambling Act 2005 was underway, with input from Public Health managers to strengthen alignment with the strategic approach to health and wellbeing. This process had slightly extended the timetable, with drafting now scheduled for completion by the end of February 2026. Work on the refreshed policy for the Licensing Act 2003 was not scheduled to begin until spring 2026, in line with the indicative timetable.

The report also included appendices detailing specific licensable activity. Appendix 1a provided a breakdown of determinations made under the Licensing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2005 between October and December 2025. This included the number of new and varied premises licences, club premises certificates, temporary event notices, and personal licences issued under the Licensing Act 2003. For the Gambling Act 2005, it detailed premises licences, permits, and lottery registrations. Appendix 1b outlined decisions made by the Licensing Sub-Committees, including a specific instance on 11 December 2025 concerning an application for a Premises Licence that was granted with additional conditions following representations from interested parties on the grounds of public nuisance.

Policy Development

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on policy development work. This included the refresh of licensing policies for both the Gambling Act 2005 and the Licensing Act 2003. At a previous meeting in October 2025, the committee had agreed to indicative timetables for these policy refreshes. The report indicated that the Gambling Act 2005 policy refresh was being drafted with input from Public Health managers to enhance its alignment with health and wellbeing strategies. The Licensing Act 2003 policy refresh was scheduled to commence in spring 2026.

The report noted that the Authority has a statutory duty to publish and maintain an adopted licensing policy, which must be periodically refreshed. The Gambling Act 2005 regulates gambling activity, with local councils issuing premises licences and permits. The Licensing Act 2003 governs the sale of alcohol, provision of entertainment, and late-night refreshment, with local councils responsible for issuing premises licences, club premises certificates, personal licences, and temporary event notices.

The committee was recommended to consider and note the information presented in the report and was invited to make supplementary suggestions as it deemed appropriate.

The meeting was also scheduled to address standard procedural items, including apologies for absence, the confirmation of minutes from the previous meeting held on 22 October 2025 Final minutes 22.10.25.pdf, and the disclosure of members' interests in accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct. The date of the next meeting was set for Wednesday, 17 June 2026.