To consider the attached report.

Greg Nelson introduced the item and reminded Members that the Council was responsible for publishing a Statement of Principles every three years, and the current Statement was due to expire. This Statement had been reviewed and updated for the period 2019-2022. Members were informed that there were no major changes to the Statement and any amendments were made to make the Statement easier to understand. A list of the proposed changes were listed in the report. Greg Nelson informed Members that no negative feedback had been received from any consultees, which included Thames Valley Police and the Gambling Commission.

Cllr Sharpe asked if this Statement of Principles was similar to those in place at other local authorities. Greg Nelson said all councils followed guidance from the government so Statements were likely to be broadly similar. However some Statements would be different to take into account the management of casinos in a particular local authority area. Which councils could have casinos was set out in legislation and the Royal Borough was not one of those councils.

Regarding the one Adult Gaming Centre Premises Licence in the Royal Borough, Greg Nelson said this differed from Licensed Premises Gaming Machine Permits in that the former only applied to premises which were open to over 18s only. He added he was not sure which premises this licence applied to and he would find out for Members.

Regarding Door Supervisors, listed at point 2.9, Cllr Wilson said he had concerns over whether there were appropriate checks in place to test if a door supervisor was a reasonable character to carry out their duties. He gave the example of Levi Bellfield, who had previously been employed as a door supervisor at a premises in Maidenhead. Greg Nelson stated that if a door supervisor was deemed necessary, there was a requirement that they would need to be SIA registered as this was the only way to be certain door supervisors had passed the relevant checks. Members agreed that it should be a requirement that all door supervisors employed in the Royal Borough should be registered and licensed with the SIA. Greg Nelson stated that no licensed gambling premises in the Royal Borough employed door staff as it had not been deemed necessary. However if it was felt that a premises was failing to meet the key licensing objectives then there may be a requirement for them to have door supervisors, and the premises would subsequently be tested for compliance.

Regarding vulnerable people, as outlined at point 2.7.3.1, Greg Nelson stated that the Council would do what it could to help anyone identified as a problem gambler. He stated his belief that local operators were responsible and would take steps to help problem gamblers. Members were told that it would be the premises that identified vulnerable people and problem gamblers, who would then inform the Council in order for them to take the appropriate action. Any bans would need to be implemented by a licensed premises as the Council did not have the power to do this.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Licensing Panel noted the report and recommended to Full Council that the RBWM Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Principles 2019-2022 be adopted, subject to an amendment to point 2.9 stating that all door supervisors should be licensed with the SIA.