Members will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on this agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm the minutes of the Licensing Committee meeting held on:

·       11 December 2023

The confirm the minutes of the Licensing Sub Committee meetings held on:

·       24 January 2024

·       5 February 2024

·       8 May 2024

·       29 July 2024

·       2 September 2024

The Committee agreed the minutes of the Licensing Committee meeting held on 11 December 2023 as a true and accurate record.

The Committee agreed the minutes of the Licensing Sub Committee meetings held on 24 January 2024, 5 February 2024, 8 May 2024, 29 July 2024, 02 September 2024 as a true and accurate record.

To receive reports on business which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration.

There were no items of Chair’s urgent business.

To note the appointment of Councillor Hendy as Chair and Councillor Stephens as Vice Chair of the Committee, as agreed at the 17 May 2024 AGM City Council meeting.

The Committee noted the appointment of Councillor Hendy as Chair and Councillor Stephens as Vice Chair of the Licensing Committee.

Nicola Horne (Service Manager for Children, Young People and Environmental Protection) introduced the report, providing a summary of what was contained within the policy;

a)    If approved, the policy would go out to public consultation for six weeks;

In response to questions it was explained:

b)    The policy only applied to businesses, not domestic pet owners;

c)    The policy was due to be brought before the Licensing Committee before, but due to staff changes there had been a delay;

d)    There was enough resource within the Licensing department to fulfil the requirements the policy put in place;

e)    Pet owners could save money in the long run by buying their pets from responsible breeders as the pets would be less likely to have diseases, and the policy and legislation ensured the animals were cared for;

f)     The cost of the licence was variable and costs could be found on the Plymouth City Council website;

g)    The aim of the policy was to provide clarity;

h)    Plymouth was on par with other cities of its size with regards to the amount of prosecutions for animal welfare within the past few years;

i)     Prior to COVID-19 there had been, on average, one animal welfare case a year brought to the Licensing department;

j)     The Licensing department were made aware of illegal breeding through Facebook and other social media, as well as the public buying animals which subsequently got sick;

k)    The Licensing department shared intelligence with officers in other Local Authorities;

l)     The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) had outlined in their guidance that in the event of death of a registered animal licence holder, the Local Authority needed to be informed within 28 days, and a representative could carry on the responsibility of the animals for up to three months;

m)  Communications would be put out on social media to make the public aware of the policy and the public consultation period.

The Committee agreed for the policy to go out to public consultation.