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 meeting held on

·       2 December 2024.

To confirm the minutes of the Licensing Sub Committee meetings held on

·       11 November 2024

·       19 November 2024

·       11 December 2024

The Committee agreed the minutes of the Licensing Committee meeting held on 02 December 2024 as a true and accurate record.

The Committee agreed the minutes of the Licensing Sub Committee meeting held on 11 November 2024, 19 November 2024 and 11 December 2024.

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.

Nicola Horne (Head of Environmental Protection and Taxis) introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

a)     The report was brought to the Committee in October 2024 for approval to go out to consultation, and subsequently the draft Animal Licensing Policy went out to public consultation in November 2024 and December 2024;

b)    Changes in the policy provided clarity and transparency with regards to Plymouth City Council’s decision making processes;

c)     There had only been nine responses to the public consultation and only six were licence holders. All 60 licence holders were given the opportunity to respond;

d)    The policy was consistent with other Local Authorities and if it was accepted, would be implemented from the 01 April 2025.

In response to questions it was explained:

e)     Cambridgeshire County Council had a similar policy in place and more Local Authorities were implementing similar policies;

f)      The Animal Welfare Act was first implemented in 2006 and licensing regulations were updated in 2018.

The Committee agreed to approve the implementation of the proposed Animal Licensing Policy following the public consultation.

The confidential minutes from the meeting held 19 November 2024 were agreed as a true and accurate record.