Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

To pass the following resolution:

That, in accordance with section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business as they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within paragraph 7 of Schedule 12A to the Act relating to any action taken or to be taken in connection with the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime.

Resolved:

That, in accordance with section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business as they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within paragraph 7 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

An application for an expedited summary review of a Premises Licence in respect of Chicago Rock Cafe & Manhattans, 36 Pipers Row, Wolverhampton, WV1 3JY, had been received from West Midlands Police.

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.

The Sub-Committee’s statutory duty was to consider the application and any representations, and to take such steps as contained in the Licensing Act 2003 as it considered appropriate for the promotion of the Licensing Objectives.

Debra Craner, Section Leader Licensing, provided an outline of the application. Sgt Steph Reynolds, West Midlands Police, (Applicant), confirmed that the summary was accurate.

The Chair invited West Midlands Police to present their application.

Sgt Steph Reynolds, West Midlands Police, outlined the application as per Appendix 3 of the restricted report and requested that the premises licence be suspended.

The Chair afforded all parties present the opportunity to question West Midlands Police in relation to their submission. Sgt Reynolds responded to questions asked.

The Chair invited the Premises Licence Holder to make representations. Mr Christopher Reid, representing the Premises, stated that he had no comment to make until the full investigation into the incident had taken place.

As no representation had been made by the Premises, no questions were asked.

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

No final summaries were made.

Angela Bernard, Solicitor, provided legal guidance to the Sub-Committee and reminded them of their available options.

All interested parties, with the exception of the Solicitor and the Democratic Services Officer, withdrew from the meeting to enable the Sub-Committee to determine the matter.

The Sub-Committee adjourned at 10.05 hours.

The Hearing reconvened at 10.34 hours.

All interested parties were invited back to the meeting and the Chair advised them of the decision of the Sub-Committee, which was read out in full by the Solicitor.

Resolved:

An application had been received from the West Midlands Police on 3 January 2023 for an expedited review of the Premises Licence in respect Chicago Rock Café & Manhattans, 36 Pipers Row, Wolverhampton, WV1 3JY.

The Chief of Police had given a certificate under Section 53A (1) (b) of the Licensing Act 2003 (the Act), stating that in their opinion the premises had been associated with serious crime and disorder and had requested that interim steps be applied to the premises licence pending a full review hearing.

The Sub-Committee heard and read from the Applicant (West Midlands Police) that:

1.     In the early hours of Saturday 24th December 2022 there was a call over the link radio that stated there had been a possible stabbing at Chicago Rock Café and that a male was bleeding.

2.     Police Officers and an Ambulance attended the scene and found an injured male outside the premises. Police Officers confirmed at 01.53hrs that the male had a 2-inch stab wound to his lower right  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.