Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on Wednesday 23^rd October 2024.

The minutes of the previous General Licensing Committee which were held on Wednesday 23^rd October 2024 were agreed and signed.

To disclose any pecuniary, other registrable or non-registrable interests as set out in the adopted Code of Conduct. In making their disclosure councillors are asked to state the agenda item, the nature of the interest and any action they propose to take as part of their declaration. If required, further advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

Representatives of town or parish councils and members of the public who live, work, or represent an organisation within the Dorset Council area are welcome to submit either 1 question or 1 statement for each meeting.  You are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via MS Teams to read out your question and to receive the response. If you submit a statement for the committee this will be circulated to all members of the committee in advance of the meeting as a supplement to the agenda and appended to the minutes for the formal record but will not be read out at the meeting.

The first 8 questions and the first 8 statements received from members of the public or organisations for each meeting will be accepted on a first come first served basis in accordance with the deadline set out below.  

Further information read Public Participation - Dorset Council

All submissions must be emailed in full to megan.r.rochester@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk by 8.30am on Thursday 13^th March 2025.

When submitting your question or statement please note that: 

•       You can submit 1 question or 1 statement.

•       a question may include a short pre-amble to set the context.

•       It must be a single question, and any sub-divided questions will not be permitted.

•       Each question will consist of no more than 450 words, and you will be given up to 3 minutes to present your question.

•       when submitting a question please indicate who the question is for (e.g., the name of the committee or Portfolio Holder) 

•       Include your name, address, and contact details. Only your name will be published but we may need your other details to contact you about your question or statement in advance of the meeting. 

•       questions and statements received in line with the council’s rules for public participation will be published as a supplement to the agenda. 

•       all questions, statements and responses will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting. 

There was no public participation.

To present the General Licensing Committee with a report outlining the responses received during the consultation period following publication of the new draft Street Trading Policy (the draft Policy).

The Service Manager for Licensing and Community Safety presented the report, outlining the proposed new policy measures following an initial consultation exercise. The responses to the consultation had been reviewed, and several amendments had been made to the draft policy as a result. Four key recommendations were discussed, and the committee was invited to address any concerns or differing opinions. The legislation surrounding this issue was complex. Further consultation was proposed and if meaningful responses arose, though such responses were not expected, the matter would be brought back before the committee. The consultation, which followed official guidance, received a good number of responses with the consultation team’s support. The draft policy had been adapted accordingly, with the plan to designate all streets in Dorset as consent streets to avoid people simply moving to nearby streets which were not designated.

The consultation report outlined responses from across Dorset, providing several examples. It was the officer’s opinion that street trading controls were necessary, with each application being assessed on its individual merits. The policy included provisions on displaying licences, and an amendment had been made regarding trading on private land, which now included an exemption.

Cllr Bell thanked the officer for the presentation and inquired about the timeframe for town council consultations.

Cllr Beer expressed the view that covering all streets to ensure that they were regulated was a positive approach and a good way to support town councils.

Response 21 emphasized the need to ensure that street traders granted licences on an ad-hoc basis, did not conflict with existing traders in the area, whilst encouraging variety and opportunities for local entrepreneurs. Response 24 mainly addressed highways issues, with the commitment to work with town councils and find compromises if concerns arise. Strict conditions would have to be implemented to address littering and minimize impacts on local amenity. Regarding application fees, officer time, and enforcement costs would be taken into account, with a discount provided to registered charities.

Cllr Beer emphasized the importance of clarifying for members that the policy only applied to registered charities.

Additional conditions regarding Challenge 25 had been added following responses from Dorset Police to ensure that where alcohol was sold appropriate checks were made. The Pedlars' legislation, was outdated and designed for sellers who move from place to place. However, if a pedlar remained in a static position and customers approached them, they would be street trading. If the street was designated, it would fall under the controls of this policy and anyone who traded without a licence or who didn’t fall within an exemption would potentially be subject to prosecution. A significant response was received from Lyme Regis, and it was determined that their income from street trading would not be impacted. A comprehensive response from public health had also been considered, with conditions added to reflect their feedback.

Cllr Fry raised concerns about the sale of alcohol, noting its potential to be damaging to health. He also pointed out that certain goods, which contained harmful  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

To consider any items of business which the Chair has had prior notification and considers to be urgent pursuant to section 100B (4) b) of the Local Government Act 1972. The reason for the urgency shall be recorded in the minutes.

There were no urgent items.

To move the exclusion of the press and the public for the following item

in view of the likely disclosure of exempt information within the

meaning of paragraph 3 of schedule 12 A to the Local Government Act

1972 (as amended). The public and the press will be asked to leave

the meeting whilst the item of business is considered.

No exempt business scheduled for this meeting.

There was no exempt business.