Agenda item

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods which considers whether or not to consult on a late night levy in Gloucester.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Dallimore, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods; Chief Inspector Neil Smith of Gloucestershire Constabulary; and Mr Darren Mountford, Senior Licensing and Markets Officer, to the meeting.

Members were presented with a report which set out the key issues which needed to be considered when deciding whether or not to consult on a late night levy in Gloucester.  Councillor Dallimore outlined the background to the report and Chief Inspector Neil Smith added some extra commentary before opening up the topic to Members for debate.

Members discussed the following matters:-

1.       A Member acknowledged the challenges faced by the Police in managing the late night economy in Gloucester and asked whether all licensed premises would be included in the late night levy and how the money would be spent.  Councillor Dallimore responded that all licensed premises within the City boundary selling alcohol after midnight would be included in the late night levy apart from those covered by exemptions set out in paragraph 3.19 of the report.  Councillor Dallimore indicated that discussions would be held with the Police and Crime Commissioner on how the money would be spent and pointed out that every levy area was different.

2.       Turning to the Late Night Levy Consultation Questionnaire at Appendix 1, a Member suggested that question 1 should be revised as the current wording was ‘open’ and might not elicit a useful response.  Councillor Dallimore thanked the Member for the comment and agreed to revisit the question.

3.       A Member commented that the report did not reflect any examples where schemes had been implemented successfully elsewhere.  Councillor Dallimore acknowledged the comment.

4.       A Member referred to the position in Cheltenham where 65 premises identified as having a post-midnight licence chose to vary their licence rather than pay the levy and queried whether this was likely to happen in Gloucester.  Councillor Dallimore commented that Gloucester’s scheme would be different to Cheltenham’s.

5.       A Member sought assurance that the funding obtained from the Late Night Levy would not be used by the Police to compensate for service cuts.  Chief Inspector Neil Smith replied that monies would be used to enhance the existing Police provision in connection with the late night economy and would not be used as a ‘top-up’.  The Member thanked Chief Inspector Neil Smith for his response, but added that he was still unsure how the Gloucester scheme would be better than the Cheltenham one and was concerned that there would not be any improved protection measures for Gloucester residents.  Chief Inspector Neil Smith replied that he was confident that he could guarantee extra resources when they were needed.  Councillor Dallimore added that there would be transparency on how the funds would be used and reminded Members that any decision to introduce a late night levy would be based on the outcome of the consultation and that would be brought before full Council for determination.  A Member who acted as a City Council representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel reminded Members that he could act as a conduit for Overview and Scrutiny Committee if representations needed to be made to the Police and Crime Commissioner.

6.       A Member reflected on research he had carried out on 7 other authorities and speculated whether the Gloucester scheme would collect enough money to be able to make a meaningful difference.  Councillor Dallimore thanked the Member for his comment and agreed that this was a potential risk. 

7.       A Member commented that it was difficult to support the scheme without knowing what the money would be spent on and stated that there was insufficient evidence in the report to support the introduction of a late night levy.  The Member suggested that the concentration of Police resources in the City Centre at weekends meant that other wards in the City were not adequately policed and that this was an issue for residents.  Chief Inspector Neil Smith assured the Member that there were more than 20 Police officers patrolling the whole of the City at weekends.

8.       A Member referred to question 2 of the Consultation Response Questionnaire regarding the funding of community safety initiatives and stated that he would not wish to see these initiatives devalued.  Councillor Dallimore said that it was the intention for premises to take responsibility by not serving intoxicated customers, etc.  and added that schemes which were already working well such as ‘Best Bar None’ would not be affected by the introduction of a late night levy.

9.       A Member suggested that a 12 monthly review process should be built in to the scheme.  Councillor Dallimore agreed to revise the report to include a 12 monthly review process.

10.     A Member congratulated the Officers on the work carried out in producing the report and stated that the introduction of a late night levy could provide good value for money.

The Chair thanked Councillor Dallimore and Chief Inspector Neil Smith for their presentation.

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO CABINET:

1.       That Question 1 of the Consultation Questionnaire in Appendix 1 to the report be reworded.

2.       That 12 monthly review arrangements be included in the scheme.