Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

An application for a variation of a Premises License in respect of The Pendulum, Blaydon Road, Wolverhampton, WV9 5NP was considered following representations made fromthe Licensing Authority, West Midlands Police and Other Persons.

The Chair welcomed all parties to the hearing and invited all those present to introduce themselves. All parties did so. He outlined the procedure to be followed and all parties confirmed that they understood the procedure.

Elizabeth Gregg, Senior Licensing and Compliance Officer, provided an outline of the application. Mr Duncan Craig, Barrister representing the Applicant, confirmed that the summary was accurate.

The Chair invited the Applicant to present the application. Mr Craig, Barrister representing the Applicant, did so as per Appendix 1 of the report.

He discussed the events leading up to the revocation of the licence and stated the following:

1.   A number of other premises whose licences were revoked as a result of a breach of Covid Regulations had posed significantly more risk to the public yet were now operating as before.

2.   Enough time had now passed since the incident and his client should not be punished indefinitely.

3.   His client accepted that he was in the wrong to allow patrons in the premises contrary to Covid regulations and he was sorry.

4.   If the application was granted his client would be in attendance at the premises at night. He was aware of the nuisance as he had previously run the premises and would immediately address any nuisance issues.

The Chair afforded all parties present the opportunity to question Mr Craig and his client in relation to his submission. Mr Craig and his client responded to questions asked.

The Chair invited the Licensing Authority to make representations. Greg Bickerdike, Licensing Manager, did so as per Appendix 3 of the report.

The Chair afforded all parties present the opportunity to question the Licensing Authority in relation to its submission. Greg Bickerdike responded to questions asked.

The Chair invited West Midlands Police (WMP) to make representations. Aimee Taylor and Sergeant Steph Reynolds did so as per Appendix 4 of the report.

The Chair afforded all parties present the opportunity to question West Midlands Police in relation to its submission. Miss Taylor and Sergeant Reynolds responded to questions asked.

The Chair invited all parties present to make their final address.

West Midlands Police, the Licensing Authority and the Applicant’s Barrister made a final statement.

Sarah Hardwick, Senior Solicitor, provided legal advice to the Sub-Committee and responded to questions asked.

Councillor Page, Councillor Dalton, Councillor Inston, the Senior Solicitor and Democratic Services Officer, withdrew from the meeting to enable the Sub-Committee to determine the matter.

The Sub-Committee adjourned at 11.15 hours.

The Hearing reconvened at 12.25 hours.

Councillor Page, Councillor Dalton, Councillor Inston, the Senior Solicitor and Democratic Services Officer re-joined the meeting.

The Chair advised all parties of the decision of the Sub-Committee, which was read out by the Senior Solicitor.

Resolved:

The Statutory Licensing Sub-Committee had taken note of all the written concerns raised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.