Those present were noted. Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Graham Cullen, Andrew Leonard and Carl Macey. 

At this point in the meeting, Members were invited to declare any relevant interests.  None were received.

That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that, if they were present, there could be disclosed exempt information as defined at paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of the Schedule 12A of the Act (as Amended).

It was proposed and seconded that the public and press be excluded from the meeting.

RESOLVED

That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that, if they were present, there could be disclosed exempt information as defined at paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of the Schedule 12A of the Act (as Amended).

To confirm the Open and Exempt Minutes of the General Licensing Meeting held on 13 November 2023.

The Open and Exempt Minutes of the General Licensing Committee Meeting held on 13 November 2023 were agreed as a correct record.

To receive a report from the Group Manager Public Protection.

Adrian Twiddy, Principal Licensing Officer presented Members with an exempt report relating to an application for the renewal of an animal welfare licence for dog breeding for consideration.

Members were advised that the applicant would not be attending the hearing and were asked to decide whether they wished to go ahead or adjourn the matter to a later date.  If adjourned, Members could indicate that they would like the applicant to attend in person.

Following on from the Principal Licensing Officer relaying the events leading up to the hearing including correspondence that had been sent to the applicant, Members were invited to discuss what the next step should be. 

N.B. Officers left the Meeting at 2.10pm and returned to the Meeting at 2.16pm.

Following which, it was agreed that the hearing would go ahead.

Members were referred to the report and Appendices A to J, pages 11 to 168 of the Agenda refer.  The Report provided information for Members about an application made for the renewal of a licence to keep a breeding establishment for dogs under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The purpose of the report was to assist the Committee in determining the outcome of the application.

The Council’s normal licensing procedure was that dog breeding establishment licence applications were determined by Officers acting under delegated powers unless there were specific concerns regarding a particular premise or licence applicant. On 2 November 2023, the Council’s Animal Welfare Officer undertook the required licensing inspection of the dog breeding establishment.  That inspection identified significant concerns with regard to the animal welfare licensing regime and the fit and proper status of the licence applicant.

In determining the licence application, the Local Authority must consider whether the applicant was a fit and proper person to be the operator of a dog breeding business.

If a licence was granted by the Committee it would be subject to the mandatory general animal welfare licence conditions detailed at Appendix I of the Report and the mandatory dog breeding licence conditions detailed at Appendix J of the Report.

The Animal Welfare Office was invited to present her findings from the licensing inspection to Committee.  Members raised concerns as the licence applicant was not present at the hearing to answer questions.  A brief discussion ensued, following which Members agreed that the Meeting be adjourned to give the licence applicant an opportunity to attend a further hearing, to be reconvened.

N.B. Officer’s left the Meeting at 2:49pm and returned to the Meeting at 3:01pm.

Following which it was

RESOLVED

That the Meeting be adjourned to a later date to allow the applicant to attend in person.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 11 March 2024.