Speak at licensing sub-committees

The council has established a Licensing Committee responsible for carrying out the council’s functions under the Licensing Act 2003 as required by law.

The committee has delegated responsibility to hear and determine licensing applications to its five sub-committees. These each consist of a panel of up to three councillors.

You can find guidance on how councillors on the licensing committee must conduct themselves at Part 9B of the Council’s Constitution: Codes and Protocols -Licensing Code of Practice(google doc).

Speak at a licensing sub-committee hearing

Any ‘interested party’ wanting to speak at a licensing sub-committee hearing must register before by emailing licensing@hackney.gov.uk. We will contact you to inform you of the date and time of the hearing. 

You can find guidance for speaking at council meetings at Part 6B of the Council’s Constitution: Public Participation – Protocol for Public Speaking at Public Meetings of the Council (google doc).

You can support, object or comment on an application. 

You can participate if you:

• live in the vicinity of the premises
• are a member of a body representing local residents – for example, neighbourhood groups
• are involved in business in the vicinity of the premises
• are a member of a body representing a local business – for example, trade unions

If you’re objecting to an application, your objection must addresses one or more of the following licensing objectives:

• prevention of public nuisance
• prevention of crime and disorder
• protection of children from harm
• public safety

An agenda for each meeting is published on our website 5 working days before the meeting.

What to expect at a hearing

We normally hold licensing sub-committee hearings online. You can watch meetings through the livestream broadcast on our Youtube channel. You can find the link on the front of the agenda pack.

You can only speak if you are:

• the applicant
• responsible authorities – public bodies such as the police, public health, planning authority
• made representations

Hearings take the form of a discussion between the sub-committee and the various parties present.

The agenda details how the hearing is conducted including how long you can speak. The chair of the meeting also outlines the procedure at the start of the sub-committee.

Decisions

A decision is made available to all parties five working days after the hearing. You can also email licensing@hackney.gov.uk for decisions.

We send the applicant the notice of decision.  We also publish the decision on our Agendas, reports, decisions and minutes page.