The Licensing (2003 Act) Sub-Committee of Newham Council met on Monday 02 February 2026 to consider a review of the premises licence for Stratford News and Wines. The committee decided to modify the licence with new conditions to uphold licensing objectives.

Review of Premises Licence for Stratford News and Wines

The Sub-Committee considered an application for a review of the premises licence for Stratford News and Wines, located at 107 Romford Road, Stratford, E15 4LY. The review was initiated by the Council's Licensing Team, citing concerns related to all four licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. Local residents also made representations against the review application.

After reviewing all written representations and hearing from the licensing authority and the premises licence holder, the committee determined that modifying the licence with agreed conditions was the most appropriate course of action. The committee noted the Secretary of State's guidance, which advises that remedial action should be directed at the causes of concern and should be proportionate.

The Licensing Authority stated that they were satisfied with the conditions agreed upon after discussions with the licence holder. The licence holder's representative provided a detailed explanation of how staff training would be implemented to mitigate risks associated with street drinkers.

The members retired to consider the conditions and any other necessary steps to promote the licensing objectives. They concluded that the agreed conditions were the most suitable way to address the issues identified by the Licensing Authority and acknowledged that the licence would remain subject to the usual review process if the conditions did not prove effective.

In addition to the agreed conditions, the members resolved that all staff should receive yearly refresher training. Furthermore, all current staff must complete this training by 20 February 2026 to ensure they fully understand the licensing regime as outlined in the new conditions.

The following conditions were imposed on the licence:

Controls of Alcohol

• Alcohol shall not be sold in an open container or be consumed on the licensed premises.
• Beers, lagers, and stouts over 6.5% ABV sold at the premises shall only be available upon request from behind the counter.
• Ciders sold at the premises shall not exceed 6.5% ABV.
• All spirits shall be located behind the counter and shall not be available for self-service.
• All alcohol exposed for sale shall be within the clear and unobstructed view of CCTV cameras.
• No spirits are to be sold in bottles less than 20cl.
• The Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), the premises licence holder, a personal licence holder, or a delegated authorised person must be present on the premises during licensable hours.

Challenge 25 Policy

• The Licence holder must adopt a Challenge 25 policy. This means that any customer appearing to be under 25 years old attempting to purchase alcohol or other age-restricted products will be asked for proof of their age.
• The only accepted proofs of age are:
  • Proof of age cards bearing the Pass hologram symbol.
  • UK Photo Driving Licence.
  • Passport.
  • Military ID.
• The Licence holder must prominently display notices informing customers of the Challenge 25 policy.

Staff Competence and Training

• The licensee must maintain a written record of all staff authorised to sell alcohol. This record must include the full name, home address, date of birth, and National Insurance number of each authorised person. This staff record must be kept on the licensed premises and be available for inspection by the Licensing Officer, Trading Standards, or the Police.
• The licensee must ensure that each member of staff authorised to sell alcohol has received adequate training on the law regarding age-restricted products, and that this training has been properly documented and records kept. All current staff members must receive this training by 20 February 2026.
• Refresher training on the law concerning age-restricted products must be delivered by a reputable training provider on a yearly basis.
• Training records must be kept on the licensed premises and made available for inspection by the Licensing Officer, Trading Standards, or the Police.
• The licensee must ensure that each member of staff authorised to sell alcohol is fully aware of their responsibilities in relation to verifying a customer's age and is capable of effectively questioning purchasers and checking proof of age.
• The licensee must ensure that each member of staff authorised to sell alcohol is sufficiently capable and confident to confront and challenge under-18s attempting to purchase alcohol.

Refusals Book

• The licensee must keep a register of refused sales for all age-restricted products (a Refusals Book).
• The Refusals Book must detail the time and date, a description of the attempting purchaser, the age-restricted products they attempted to purchase, the reason for refusal, and the name/signature of the sales person who refused the sale.
• The Refusals Book must be examined regularly by the licensee, with the date and time of each examination endorsed in the book.
• The Refusals Book must be kept on the licensed premises and made available for inspection by the Licensing Officer, Trading Standards, or the Police.

CCTV

• A CCTV system must be installed at the premises, maintained in good working order, and fully operational. It must record during the hours the premises is open to the public and cover all internal areas accessible to the public, as well as the area immediately outside the premises.
• Recordings must be retained for 31 days and be available to the Police or Council officers upon request. The recordings must be capable of identification and be of evidential quality in all lighting conditions.
• The equipment must have a suitable export method (e.g., CD/DVD/USB) so that the Police and Council officers can make an evidential copy of the data. This data should be in its native file format to prevent any loss of image quality. If the format is non-standard, the licence holder must supply the replay software within 24 hours of being requested, to enable the video to be replayed on a standard computer. Copies must be available to the Police and Council officers upon request.
• Staff working at the premises must be trained in the use of the equipment, and at least one trained member of staff must be present during licensable hours who can download CCTV footage if requested by a police officer or authorised Council officer.
• Cameras at the entrances must capture full frame shots of the heads and shoulders of all people entering the premises, capable of identification and of evidential quality in all lighting conditions.
• If the CCTV system becomes non-functional, this must be reported immediately to the Licensing Authority.

The meeting was chaired by Councillor Tonii Wilson, with Councillors Simon Rush and Jane Lofthouse also in attendance. The meeting commenced at 10:00 a.m. and concluded at 12:00 p.m. No declarations of interest were made by the committee members. The procedure for the hearing was confirmed by the Chair.