Members of the Committee were asked to declare any disclosable and non pecuniary interests in connection with any application on the agenda and state the nature of the interest.

No such declarations were made.

The Assistant Chief Executive sought Members’ approval of the Draft Statement of Policy under The Gambling Act 2005 in order that it may be circulated for consultation.

Members were advised that the Council has been the Licensing Authority responsible for granting premises licence in Wirral in respect of betting premises, bingo premises, family entertainment centres, adult gaming centres and casino premises since 1 September 2007.  Also, the Council has responsibility for Gaming Machine Permits, Temporary Use and Occasional Use Notices and the registration of Small Society Lotteries.

The Licensing Manager reported that The Gambling Act 2005 required the Council to prepare and publish a statement of policy that the Authority would apply when considering applications under the Act and that it was a requirement that this Policy document be reviewed every three years.  The revised draft Statement of Policy was considered by Members in order that it may be circulated for a three month consultation period.  This consultation period would commence on 13 June and end on 14 September 2018.

Resolved – That the Draft Statement of Policy be approved as a document to be consulted upon and that feedback from the consultation be reported back to the next meeting of this Committee so that a final draft statement may be considered by Council for approval as the Statement of Policy to be applied under The Gambling Act 2005.