Agenda item

An application has been made to review the premises licence for Clock House, Bridge Street, Sturminster Newton, Dorset. The application has been out to public consultation.  A Licensing Sub-Committee must consider the application and representations at a public hearing. 

Kathryn Miller, the Senior Licensing Officer, confirmed that numerous attempts to contact the license holder had been made by licensing officers as well as by Dorset Police who had served the application on Tuesday 3^rd December 2024 via letter box. Email correspondence had also been attempted, inviting the licence holder to the hearing as well as providing documentation by both post and email. Attempts had also been made by phone call, however this was also unsuccessful, and no response had been received.

Sergeant G Gosling also explained that upon serving the original paper reviews by hand, he had also assisted with the blue notices which had been put up at the premises. Upon reattending the premises, the blue notices and original paperwork had been moved. He clarified to members that documentation included full contact information for the licence holder, however, like the licensing authority, no response had been received.

Councillor Pothecary queried as to whether Sergeant Gosling had visited the premises during the published hours.

Sergeant G Gosling explained that he had visited the premises during the day whereas the premises was open in the evenings; however, he was confident that the licence holder had received and seen the notices as they had been moved which implied that the premises was still trading. It was also confirmed by other businesses in the area that they were continuing to trade.

Phillip Crowther, Legal Business Partner, asked both parties to confirm that they had used the last or only address listed of the licence holder. Both confirmed that they had not received notification of another address and had used the address of the premise of which the license was held.

The meeting was adjourned for the Sub-Committee to agree whether they wished to continue with the hearing in the absence of the license holder.

Upon returning, Cllr Craig Monks confirmed that members were satisfied that the licence holder had been given the opportunity to attend both by the licensing officer and Dorset Police, therefore it was agreed to continue with the hearing in their absence.

Kathryn Miller, the Licensing Officer presented a report setting out the application for the review of a premises licence for ‘Clock House, Sturminster Newton’. The review had been made in connection with the licensing objectives of the prevention of crime and disorder as the Licence Holder was associated with employing illegal workers which was contrary to Immigration Legislation. Therefore, members were advised that a hearing had to be held to determine the application. Members were informed that Immigration Enforcement Officers had visited the premises in October of last year as well as the Sergeant who had put up the review notices on 3 December. Numerous attempts had been made to contact the licence holder following the application; however, no response had been received by any party. A copy of the licence could be found at appendix 2 of the officer report. The Senior Licensing Officer had received supporting documentation for the review from Immigration, however, due to the sensitive nature of the report, it could not be published online to the public, however, it was confirmed that members of the committee and the police had seen the information. Further details were provided regarding the possible actions which could be undertaken by the Licensing Sub-Committee such as reducing trading hours.

There were no questions from members at this time.

Dorset Police were also in attendance. They highlighted that no mediation had been undertaken despite efforts to communicate with the licence holder. Sergeant G Gosling added that Dorset Police work in partnership with authorities and confirmed that they were supporting Immigration officers by leading the hearing responsibilities. Three staff had been associated with illegal working, one particularly in a managerial role, therefore, this demonstrated a lack of regard to rights to work check. Licensed premises are a privilege and when objectives are undermined, it was essential to take any necessary action. He referred to the guidance which mentioned immigration as an area of concern. Sergeant G Gosling felt that by revoking a licence it would send a message to support removing criminality of the town. There was no excuse for not being compliant with the law and it was essential to protect people and award pay appropriately.

There were no questions from members at this time.

All parties were given the opportunity to sum up and have their say. 

Decision: To revoke the Premises Licence.