Agenda and minutes

The Convener welcomed all attendees to the meeting, including Constable Gary Forbes representing Police Scotland.

It was noted that the Local Licensing Forums Annual General Meeting was being held slightly later than usual due to scheduling reasons.

Apologies were received from Diane Sande, Lucy Simpson, and Barry Stephen, while Pete Turner attempted to join online but faced technical issues, leading to his apologies being submitted at the start of the meeting.

The Forum resolved:-

to note the apologies.

The Forum had before it the minute of the previous meeting of 28 November 2023, for approval.

The Forum resolved:-

to approve the minute.

The nominations for the Convener and Vice Convener positions in the Local Licensing Forum were submitted to the Clerk, and the results were announced.

The Forum resolved:-

(i)             to note that Elaine Mottram would continue as Convener;

(ii)           to note that John Mooney and William Rae would remain as Vice Conveners; and

(iii)          to agree that the current Convener and Vice Conveners would continue in their roles for one more term.

The Convener updated the Forum on potential new members, including Barry Stephen from Adult Social Services and Ronald Sim, a Community Safety Officer recommended by John Philip. With no off-sales representatives currently on the Forum, the Convener expressed interest in filling this role promptly along with a young person to succeed David Laing.

The Forum resolved:-

(i)             to acknowledge the interest from Barry Stephen, Adult Social Services in joining the Forum;

(ii)            to invite Ronald Sim to join as a new Forum member;

(iii)      to work with the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership to find a replacement for Lucy Simpson in the event that she is unable to continue on the Forum.

(iv)     to seek suggestions for an off-sales representative to join the Forum; and

(v)      to acknowledge that the Convener would reach out to David Laing regarding finding a replacement for his young person role.

The Forum received an overview from Licensing Standard Officers Stephen Stewart and John Philip regarding their roles and responsibilities.

Mr Philip explained that each Council must appoint Licensing Standard Officers who report to the Licensing Board, liaise with Council departments, and are members of the Local Licensing Forum. They must undergo specific training qualifications within twelve months of appointment. Aberdeen City Council currently employs three Licensing Standard Officers.

Reference was made to the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, which had been in force since September 2009. Mr Philip outlined five Licensing Objectives, including preventing crime and disorder, ensuring public safety, preventing public nuisance, protecting public health, and safeguarding children from harm.

The day-to-day tasks of Licensing Standard Officers involved the processing of licenses, managing premises changes, attending meetings, handling complaints, conducting premises visits, reviewing license applications, and collaborating with Police Scotland.

There was a discussion regarding the balance of reactivity and a proactive approach in the Licensing Standard Officers activity. The Forum were informed that the Licensing Standard Officers make every effort to be proactive and they felt that this was an important part of avoiding risk related to on-sales.

The Forum resolved:-

to express thanks to Mr Stewart and Mr Philip for their informative overview.

The Convener informed the Forum about the challenges faced in completing the Annual Functions Report, which was approved by the Joint Local Licensing Forum and Board in September 2023. The Board agreed to the recommendations, although it was noted that it would not be possible to incorporate all the recommendations in the forthcoming Annual Functions Report relating to the year 2023/24.  

The Convener informed Forum members that positive feedback had been received from Alcohol Focus Scotland on the recommendations. The Convener proposed forming a sub-group to explore how to implement the recommendations.

During the meeting, volunteers were sought to assist the Convener in reviewing and updating the Annual Functions Report. Sandy Munro, Finlay Cran and John Mooney agreed to join the Convener for this task. The focus would be on creating a report that would be engaging and informative regarding Licensing in Aberdeen, understanding the effectiveness of the Licensing system over the past year, and identifying any lessons learned.

Separate from the Annual Functions Report, members were also asked to review a draft Annual Report for the Forum prepared by the Convener, and provide feedback by 15 March 2024, before the next Licensing Board meeting on 1 May 2024.

The Forum resolved:-

(i)       to note that the sub-group members would consider a date to meet and discuss the Annual Functions Report; and

(ii)       to request members to review the Annual Report for the Forum and submit feedback by 15 March 2024.

The Convener updated the Forum on outstanding actions for 2023, highlighting the need to develop an Annual Report and Workplan, with the report completed but the work plan pending.

A discussion took place regarding ways to target and measure the Forum’s impact. Points raised and discussed included:-

·     making meaningful recommendations to the Licensing Board;

·     benefits of the Forum's relationships and network in providing different perspectives;

·     maintaining respect and trust between the Licensing Board and the Forum;

·     appreciating the opportunity to attend Board meetings and submit reports;

·     increasing inclusivity and diversity in Forum discussions;

·     holding the Licensing Board accountable; and

·     including data in future reports on closed and opened establishments to reflect changes.

The Forum resolved:-

(i)       to acknowledge the outstanding Workplan; and

(ii)       to request members to review the Annual Report for the Forum and submit feedback by 15 March 2024.

The Convener inquired if anyone had additional matters to discuss under Any Other Competent Business (AOCB).

The Convener advised that the additional document that was distributed at the meeting’s commencement, namely the DRAFT Annual Report for the Forum, required review, feedback, and approval by the Forum members on or before 15 March 2024.

The Forum resolved:-

to request the Clerk to circulate the Annual Report for the Forum to all members, outlining the requirements and the deadline.

The Local Licensing Forum were advised that the next meeting would take place on 7 May 2024.

The Forum resolved:-

to note the date of the next meeting.

-                ­ELAINE MOTTRAM, Convener