Lords to hold Licensing Act 2003 Committee inquiry follow up evidence sessions

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, who chaired the original Licensing Act 2003 Committee, as well as three other members of the committee, will join the Liaison Committee for these evidence sessions.

These evidence sessions will be streamed on Parliament TV.

Read the committee’s original report and the Government’s response.

The first session will begin at 1.05pm Giving evidence will be:

• Leenamari Aantaa-Collier, Partner and Head of Planning, The Wilkes Partnership Solicitors
• Councillor Jeanie Bell, Licensing Champion and Member of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, Local Government Association
• Sarah Clover, West Midlands Regional Chair, Institute of Licensing, Barrister and specialist adviser to the former Committee.

The second session will begin at 2pm Giving evidence will be:

• Assistant Chief Constable Scott Green, Alcohol Harm and Vulnerability Lead, National Police Chiefs’ Council
• Michael Kill, CEO, Night Time Industries Association
• Kate Nicholls OBE, CEO, UK Hospitality.

The third session will begin at 3pm Giving evidence will be:

• The Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP, Minister of State (Minister for Housing), Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• The Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State (Minister for Crime and Policing), Home Office.

Topics the committee is likely to cover include:

• The developments in licensing since the committee reported in 2017.
• The coordination between the licensing and planning systems.
• The implementation of the ‘Agent of Change’ principle and what more needs to be done to incorporate this into the licensing system.
• The developments in training for councillors, police licensing officers and those who work in the night-time economy.
• The tools needed to create a safe environment in which night-time businesses can prosper.
• The impact of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) in Scotland and the proposed changes to alcohol duty.
• Key factors the Government considered when reaching its response to the recent consultation on licensing premises airside.

The Liaison Committee will use the evidence it gathers in these evidence sessions to produce a follow-up report which will be sent to the Government and debated in the House of Lords chamber.