Title of Report: Officer Presenting: Director of Health & Community Requirement to Advertise Entertainments Licence Applications Author: Head of Health and Community Wellbeing 1 Purpose of Report/Recommendations 1.1 To seek approval for a revision to the entertainments licensing procedure so that applicants are only required to place an advertisement in one local newspaper circulating widely within the locality in which the premises are situated. 2 Background 2.1 Under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 (”the Order”), Council may grant to any applicant, and from time to time renew, a licence for the use of any place specified in it for all or any of the types of entertainments specified in the Order. 2.2 The process that both applicants and Council must follow in relation to applications for entertainments licences is prescribed within Schedule 1 to the Order. 2.3 One of the requirements placed on applicants for an entertainments licences (other than those applying for an occasional licences for an educational institution or a building occupied in connection with a place of public religious worship) is that, not later than 7 days after the date of the application, they will give public notice of the application, by publishing an advertisement, in a prescribed format, in such newspapers circulating in the district of the council as the council may require. 2.4 Applicants are required to supply a copy of each advertisement to the council. 2.5 While the Order does not specify a minimum number of newspapers in which an applicant must place advertisements, it has been Council’s policy to date that advertisements be placed in two of the following newspapers: Location of premises to Choice of newspapers in which to place which the application relates advertisements County Derry / Londonderry Derry Journal, Derry News, Londonderry Sentinel or Belfast Telegraph (North West Edition) County Tyrone Tyrone Constitution and Ulster Herald; OR Strabane Weekly News and Strabane Chronicle 3 Key Issues 3.1 The purpose of these public advertisements is to bring the application to the attention of anyone who may wish to object to an application for an entertainments licence, so that they may have an opportunity to make a representation to Council within 28 days after the date of the application. 3.2 While it is recognised that it is important that anyone who may wish to object to an entertainment licence application has the opportunity to make a representation, the effectiveness of public advertisements in local newspapers in bringing applications to the attention of members of the public is questionable, given the decline in newspaper readership. 3.3 In addition, Council’s requirement that public notice of an application is given through an advertisement in two local newspapers is at odds with other councils, the majority of which are known to require advertisement in only one newspaper. 3.4 This adds an additional cost for those making an application to Council at a time when the hospitality and entertainment sector is facing unprecedented challenges. 4 Financial, Equality, Legal, HR, Improvement, Rural Needs and other Implications 4.1 There are no financial or other implications for Council. 4.2 Reducing the number of public advertisements required to one will satisfy the requirements of the Order. 5 Recommendations 5.1 It is recommended that, in order to provide further support to businesses at this time, members approve a revision to the entertainments licensing procedure so that applicants are only required to place an advertisement in one local newspaper circulating widely within the locality in which the premises are situated. Background Papers None .