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Where a Member has a genuine difficulty in attending any particular training session officers will try when practicable to accommodate a request for an individual or repeat session.

The Licensing Committee may need to determine an application submitted by a Councillor or an officer, or by a company or individual with which a Councillor or officer has an interest or relationship. For the avoidance of doubt, the term Councillor or an officer includes any former Councillors or officers. In such cases, it is vital to ensure that such application is handled in a way that gives no grounds for accusations or favouritism. Accordingly the matter will be dealt with as follows-

In respect of former Councillors or former officers the above requirements shall apply for a period of three years following their departure from the Council.

inform such applicant or agent or interested party/ objector that such approach should be made to officers or to elected Councillors who are not Councillors of the Licensing Committee;

Correspondence received by any Councillor (whether on the Licensing Committee or not), should be passed without delay to the Corporate Director so that all relevant views can be made available to those Councillors or officers responsible for determining the application. A reply by a Councillor should, as a rule, simply note the contents of the correspondence and advise that it has been passed to officers.

Generally, any contact with applicants and/ or objectors should only be conducted with and through officers and should always be reported to the Licensing Committee. Requests to a Councillor for a meeting should be passed to the Corporate Director.

Councillors of the Licensing Committee shall not attempt in any way to influence the terms of the officers’ report upon any application.

Councillors of the Licensing Committee shall refrain from personal abuse and party-political considerations shall play no part in the Committee's deliberations. Councillors shall be respectful to the Chair and to each other and to officers and Members of the public including applicants, their agents and objectors and shall not bully any person.

Councillors should be aware that an unreasonable decision taking into account the above criteria is unlikely to be sustained on appeal. In this instance, the authority foregoes the opportunity to attach terms and conditions to a licence and will likely have to pay costs. The role of officers is to point this out and advise Councillors as to the potential risk of losing an appeal and being required to pay the other parties costs as a consequence. This needs to be balanced with the Council’s fiduciary duty towards the local taxpayer in terms of the Council being a public body spending public money.

Respect the impartiality and integrity of the Council’s officers;