South Ayrshire Council

Local Licensing Forum To Be Created

A Local Licensing Forum is being created in South Ayrshire, members will be able to give independent and expert views on a range of licensing issues to the local Licensing Board.

Under the Licensing (Scotland) Act, 2005 South Ayrshire Council has to establish a Local Licensing Forum. The role of the Forum is to give advice and recommendations to the Licensing Board on licensing matters.

Councillor Douglas Campbell, Chair of the Licensing Board said: “The Local Licensing Forum will operate independently from the Licensing Board and it will bring together a group of people who have an interest in licensing matters. South Ayrshire is already widely regarded as being at the forefront in developing initiatives to improve safety in licensed premises and the Forum will help the Board to respond to local community concerns. The local knowledge and constructive advice that Forum members will be able to give will be invaluable and I look forward to working with the members.”

Members of the Forum will not give advice or recommendations to the Board on any individual application or case that is heard by the Board. However, the Board will have to take note of the views of the Forum members and give reasons where it takes decisions against the advice of the Forum.

The Forum in South Ayrshire will be made up of fifteen people who have an interest in licensing matters. The Council’s Licensing Standards Officer must be a member of the Forum, and one Councillor from the Board will be a member of the Forum. All licence holders and Community Councils have been consulted and asked if they would like to be considered for membership of the Forum. The South Ayrshire Access Panel has been asked to nominate one person to become a member of the Forum.

July 2007