Agenda and minutes

Members and Officers must declare any disclosable pecuniary interests in relation to any business on the agenda. Declarations should also be made at any stage an interest becomes apparent during the meeting.

If in doubt contact the Legal or Democratic Services representative for this meeting

There were no declarations of interest

To receive any questions from Members of the public in accordance with

Standing Order 11.2

(Note: Public Question Time will operate for a maximum of 30 minutes.)

There were no questions from the public

To consider a report by the Interim Director for Communities, copy attached as item 3

Before the Committee was a report by the Interim Director for Communities, copy attached as item 3. The report before Members detailed a request for a review of a premises licence of Om Food & Wine (also known as Clifton Food & Wine). The review application had been made by West Sussex Trading Standards. Supporting the application was representation from Sussex Police. Evidence in support of the application detailed incidents whereby there had been failed test purchases and witness evidence that there had been underage sales.

The meeting was adjourned 18:36 for member to consider additional information that had been circulated prior to the hearing. The meeting reconvened at 18:51

Presenting Officer Outlines the application

The Licensing Officer introduced the report to the Committee and set out the matters for members to consider.

Questions from Members for the Presenting Officer

A Member asked if still photographs taken from an incident in 2020 and was told that they could be shown during the closed session at the end of the meeting. Members were told that the still images had be shown to the respondent in advance of the hearing.

Presentation by the Applicant

The applicant made a representation which can be summarised as follows:

·         Members were asked to determine if it was appropriate to revoke the respondent’s licence on the grounds of Crime and Disorder and the Protection of Children from Harm;

·         Trading Standards sought to ensure that the breaches were brought to the attention of the Committee and consider actions available to it;

·         In 2021 Trading Standards had made a press release about the lack of inspections during the lockdown and announced that there would be crackdown following the relaxation of lockdown restrictions;

·         There had been intelligence that a relaxation of inspections had been taken advantage of;

·         Following a failed test purchase the DPS had claimed that he had asked for ID a statement that was subsequently changed;

·         The DPS had been provided with advice and this had been supported by a translator, a written note of this interaction had been signed by the DPS;

·         As part of the test purchase a fifteen year old had been sold WKD blue and had not been asked for their age;

·         The test purchase volunteer looked like their age bracket;

·         Statements relating to the test purchase were included within the evidence;

·         West Sussex Trading Standards were not willing to mediate with the respondent given the nature and reoccurrence of the incidents

Questions for the Applicant from Members

A Member asked if that intelligence provided from a school teacher was from a third party the Trading standards representative confirmed that it was;

A Member asked if the trading standards representative was aware if the press release about a crackdown would be understood by people whose 1^st language was not English. Members were told that there had been extensive coverage of the issue in the press

A Member asked if the trading standards representative was confident that the test purchaser looked 15. The trading standards officer  ...  view the full minutes text for item LCCB/3/22-23