Venue: Council Chamber, Kilmory, Lochgilphead
Contact: Judy Galbraith Tel No: 01546 604331
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Minutes: Apologies
for absence were intimated by Superintendent Raymond Park, Strathclyde Police;
Catherine Dobbie, Education Support Officer; David
Greenwell, ADAT; Calum MacLachlainn,
Licensed Trade; Fred Bruce, Community Representative; Kenneth Harrison,
Community Representative; Susan Mair, Head of Legal
and Protective Services. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Minutes: None. |
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Local Licensing
Forum 3 July 2008 Minutes: The Minutes
of the Local Licensing Forum of 3 July 2008 were approved as a correct record. |
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DISCUSSION - DISCHARGING THE ROLE OF THE FORUM Minutes: Following
the Joint Licensing Board (LB) and Local Licensing Forum (LLF) meeting on 28
August a press release was submitted to local newspapers in Argyll and Bute to
highlight partnership working and raise awareness of the LB and LLF. The article included a photograph of the
meeting, a contact telephone number, email address for information and an
explanation of the roles of the groups.
Decision 1.
Eric
Box and Verona MacDonald agreed to draft an article, similar to that in the
Helensburgh Advertiser, and bring this back to the next meeting prior to it
being circulated to Community Councils.
Agreed that the article should contain local contact phone numbers for
information to encourage communities to make representations to the LLF, prior
to recommendations being made to the LB. 2.
Agreed
that LLF representatives attend their local Community Council meeting to
establish an effective link. If however,
this proves too time consuming, a speaker could be invited to a larger
Community Council meeting and invitations extended to surrounding Community
Councils. 3.
Agreed
that a representative from each Community Council be invited to attend a LLF
meeting. It is recommended that an item
be put on the agenda to provide representatives with an opportunity to pose
questions to the LLF. 4.
Agreed
that a notice or poster be put into local Post Offices to raise awareness of
the issues the LLF aims to address. An
article could also be inserted into any free magazine which local communities
produce assuming no costs are incurred.
Agreed any article compiled could be circulated by the LLF
representatives. 5.
Agreed
that the information available on the Council website is not sufficient and
Verona MacDonald and Judy Galbraith to examine possible ways for improvement. |
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ISSUES TO BE RAISED AT JOINT MEETING WITH LICENSING BOARD - DISCUSSION Minutes: Liaison Group It was
agreed at the Joint Licensing Board and Local Licensing Forum meeting of 28
August 2008 that a Liaison Group be established to foster good relations. The Liaison Group is to consist of three
representatives from each of the Board and the Forum. Decision Agreed that
the three members should each represent one of the disciplines within the Forum
and nominations were made accordingly; Eric Box (community representative), J
Russell Buchanan (ex-licensee) Louise Ballantyne
(local training provider). Verona
MacDonald agreed to report this information to the Licensing Board and ask for confirmation
of their three representatives to ensure a Liaison Group meeting can be
organised. Policy Document The
Licensing Board have not met since 28 August when controversial issues
regarding the Policy Document were raised.
This will be an item on their next agenda. Decision 1.
Early
morning off-sales - Agreed to make recommendation to the Licensing Board that
all licensed premises be subject to the same constraints, whilst allowing the
Licensing Board to use their discretion regarding individual application. 2.
Under
21 Identification - Agreed to make recommendation to the Licensing Board that
the Policy Document incorporate a policy stipulating that all people under 21
years of age be required to provide identification. |
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NATIONAL LICENSING CONFERENCE Update by
Chair (verbal) Minutes: The Local
Licensing Forum considered a report which provided an overview of the National
Licensing Conference 2008. John
MacFarlane, the National Licensing Officer for Alcohol Focus Scotland attended
the Conference and stressed the importance of Licensing Standards Officers
(LSOs) being in place. Charles Reppke
confirmed that Argyll & Bute Council has funding available to employ the
LSOs, however the posts are currently with the Job Evaluation Team for
assessment. Discussion ensued regarding
the lack of information available regarding the role of LSOs. The meeting agreed the Scottish Government,
in conjunction with the National Licensing Officer, should be assisting local
authorities by providing such guidance. Eric Box
mentioned a meeting he had with Susan Mair and Raymond Park to discuss the
issues of how Local Licensing Forums are supposed to achieve their objectives
once the new legislation is enforced.
Verona MacDonald highlighted the positive feedback that Argyll and
Bute’s Local Licensing Forum had received from John MacFarlane at the
Conference, stating that it was well established and operated and was composed
of representatives from different sectors, ensuring widespread representation
and a balanced view. Eric Box thanked
Verona MacDonald for providing both information and clarification on some
elements of his report. Decision Agreed to
note the contents of the report. (Ref:
Report by Eric Box, Community Representative, dated 10 September 2008, tabled) |
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STATISTICAL INFORMATION Update by
Chair and Head of Legal and Protective Services (verbal) Minutes: The importance of collating statistics was highlighted to ensure that
once the new legislation is enforced the recorded statistical data will
indicate if the new legislation is reducing the problems being faced by
communities. Decision 1.
Agreed
that Susan Mair and Raymond Park will provide provisional
statistical information at the next meeting.
2.
Agreed
Cath Cakebread will
endeavour to provide statistical data at future meetings, although gathering
statistics specifically for Argyll and Bute could prove difficult. 3.
Agreed
there is a requirement for impact statistics from Health and Young Scot to be
provided. |
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CHOOSE LIFE CONFERENCE Report by Education
Support Officer Minutes: The Local
Licensing Forum considered a report on the Choose Life Conference held at Stonefield Castle Hotel.
Choose Life is the Scottish Government’s strategy to reduce
suicide in Decision Agreed to
note the contents of the report. (Ref:
Report by Education Support Officers, dated 10 September 2008, submitted) |
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RECRUITMENT Minutes: The issue of
recruitment was discussed as there are currently two community representative vacancies
which are required to be filled, along with a vacancy for Argyll and Bute’s Alcohol
and Drug Addiction Team Officer. Decision 1.
Agreed
to place an advertisement in the Inveraray and
Helensburgh areas to recruit two community representatives to attend the LLF. 2.
Agreed
that once Argyll and Bute Council has recruited an Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Team Officer, this person will be invited to attend the LLF. |
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ASSISTING THE LICENSING BOARD Minutes: Verona
MacDonald intimated that the Licensing Board would like to request the
assistance of the LLF in connection with several issues. These include establishing if there is a
requirement for a ‘Plastic Glass’ Policy to be instated and examine licensed
premises to discover if a ‘Noise’ Policy is required Decision 1.
Agreed
to establish whether a ‘plastic glass’ Policy would be beneficial if
incorporated into the Policy Document.
Agreed to look into this issue at the February 2009 meeting. Agreed Strathclyde Police will provide
statistics for assaults and injuries caused by glasses and bottles over a
period of a year. 2.
Agreed
to establish whether a Policy should be introduced stipulating required
standards of equipment mandatory for premises playing music. Agreed Strathclyde Police will provide
(separately if possible) statistics on musical noise, smokers’ noise and
closing time noise. Agreed to contact
Sandy MacTaggart to request the attendance of, and a
report from, an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) in connection with
professional standards applied to noise and nuisance complaints in licensed
premises. The LLF agreed to wait until
the statistics and report have been received before deciding whether they will
make recommendation to the LB. Agreed
that if a recommendation is made it should specify that if an assessment
highlights that noise levels are within the permitted limits, that does not
necessarily mean it is not a nuisance, as this can vary depending on factors
such as age. 3.
Agreed
to make recommendation to the LB that the Young Scot project be incorporated
into the Policy Document. Agreed that Roanna Taylor provide a report to the LB in connection with
the Policy Document stipulating that all people under 21 years of age be
required to provide identification, which should include the Young Scot
card. |
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING Minutes: Some concerns
were raised regarding the infrequency of meetings and the lack of attendance. Decision 1.
Agreed
date of next meeting as Thursday 11 December 2008. 2.
Agreed
to organise meeting dates for 2009, as follows:
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