Agenda and draft minutes

The Licensing Panel considered the appointment of a Chairman for the meeting.

Resolved:

That Councillor Hutton be appointed Chairman for the meeting.

Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:-

(1) the type of interest concerned

(2) the nature of the interest concerned; and

(3) whether they have or have not sat on a Planning Committee which has previously considered a planning application in respect of a licensed premises which is also subject to consideration for a premises licence as part of the agenda for this meeting.

If any Member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.

(Members are asked to also pay particular attention to the guidance sheet on interests supplied with the agenda).

There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.

The Chairman explained the procedure for the meeting, including the order in which the applicant and objector would be heard and that the decision of the Panel would be communicated in writing within five-working days.

To consider an application for a new bingo premises licence for Merkur Slots, 40 Abingdon Street, Blackpool, FY1 1DA.

The Panel considered an application for a new Bingo Premises Licence at Merkur Slots, Abingdon Street, Blackpool, FY1 1DA.

The applicant, Cashino Gaming Ltd, was represented by Mr Philip Kolvin QC and accompanied Mr Richard Bradley, Poppleston-Allen Solicitors, Ms Amanda Kiernan, Head of Compliance, Mr Andrew Tipple, Head of Product, Ms Gill Clulow, Senior Auditor and Mr Darrell Butterworth, Licensing and Security Compliance Consultant.

Mr Kolvin outlined the case for the applicant, stating that since a previous application for a Bingo Premises Licence had been refused at a hearing on 26 June 2020 an amended application had been submitted to address the concerns raised at that meeting. In particular the application stated that the venue would close at 1.00am and a more detailed area risk assessment had been attached. The application also included a report from Mr Butterworth, an independent consultant, into security measures.

The Panel was also informed that Lancashire Constabulary had been consulted on the application and had not raised an objections to the granting of a Licence. Mr Kolvin also highlighted that there had also been no concerns regarding the venue when it previously was a betting office. In addition to Lancashire Constabulary, it was also noted that no other statutory consultees had raised objections to the application.

Cashino Gaming Ltd was described as a large and experienced operator who were licensed by the Gambling Commission. Mr Kolvon reported that none of the eighty-nine sites operated by the company had been subject of a licensing review and no concerns had been raised that Cashinon Gaming was not a responsible operator, adding that details of the operational systems and training for staff had been provided as part of the application. Through training and the procedure in place, Mr Kolvin informed Members that venue would offer a friendly and safe experience to a wide variety of customers. He also asked Members to note that although alcohol could be served at the venue, it would not be in line with the experience Cashino Gaming wished to offer and that non-alcoholic drink would be offered to customers instead.

Mr Kolvin also explained that the site would have staff and Close Circuit Television (CCTV) to monitor the site and allow them to react quickly to any issues that might arise. There would also be a strong staff presence in the venue, and it was confirmed that there would be no planned single manning of the venue after 8.00pm.

The significant legal obligation that the venue would be subject to were also highlighted by Mr Kolvin. He stated that in addition to the mandatory condition imposed as part of the Licence application, the applicant had also offered additional conditions for operations at the venue, such as restricted opening hours. There were also legal obligations outlined at Section 153 of the Licensing Act, such as the duty to protect vulnerable people.

Mr Kolvin also addressed the concerns raised by the objections raised by the Abington Barbeque and Bread Basket Bakery. There objections had expressed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.