Issue - meetings

To seek approval for the formation of a Licensing Committee of Cheshire East

Council, both as a shadow committee prior to 1 April 2009 and as a fully operational

Committee thereafter.

           Consideration was given to a report seeking approval for the formation of a Licensing Committee of Cheshire East Council, both as a shadow committee prior to 1 April 2009 and as a fully operational Committee thereafter.

              RESOLVED

That a Licensing Committee be appointed on the following terms:-

1.      A full Licensing Committee of fifteen Members (with a quorum of eight) on a politically proportional basis, i.e. Conservatives 11; Liberal Democrats 2; Labour 1; Independent Group 1.

2.      That the Licensing Committee then establishes Sub-Committees of three Members drawn from the full Committee to deal with matters under the Licensing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2003; and

3.      That Sub-Committees of five Members (with a quorum of three) drawn from the full Committee (of which at least one shall, subject to availability, be the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the full Committee) are established on an ad hoc basis to deal with ‘general’ licensing matters.

4.      That those Members listed in appendix 1 of the report be appointed to the Licensing Committee.

5.      That Council delegates to the Licensing Committee those licensing functions which are the responsibility of Council set out in Appendix 2 of the report, subject to the proviso that before any Councillor who is a member of the Licensing Committee can attend a meeting and participate in the determination of an application or appeal by any individual or body, that Councillor must have attended a suitable training course dealing with the quasi-judicial nature of the role of the Committee.

6.      That the date of the first meeting of the Licensing Committee be 19^th December 2008.

7.      That the Interim Monitoring Officer be authorised to make such consequential changes to the Constitution as she considers appropriate to give effect to the decision of Council in relation to paragraphs 1 to 3 above.

In accordance with section 17 (1) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, it was necessary that the following resolution be approved without any Member of the Authority voting against. It was resolved unanimously that :-

That the requirement of political proportionality under section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 be waived, in relation to the sub-committee established under 3 above.