Council to review licensing principles relating to the Gambling Act
Cheshire West and Chester Council has launched a consultation on its Statement of Principles relating to the licensing of gambling in the borough.
The Gambling Act 2005 requires the Council, as the licensing authority, to prepare and publish a Statement of Principles that sets out the policies it will generally apply to promote the licensing objectives when making decisions on licence applications. The licensing objectives include preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder or being used to support crime; ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way, and protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
Before publishing, the Statement of Licensing Principles must be reviewed by the chief officer of police for the area, representatives from gambling businesses in the borough, residents and the Gambling Commission.
The Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Neighbourhood Pride, Councillor Stuart Bingham said:
On this occasion we are only proposing minor changes to our Statement of Licensing Principles including updated population statistics/information. If you would like to give your views on any aspect of the revised draft, please get in touch.
A consultation is now live on the Council's website and will close on 4 August 2025 - Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Licensing Principles Consultation | Participate Now.
The outcome of the consultation will be considered by the Council’s Licensing Committee on 9 September 2025 and then the Council’s Cabinet on 15 October 2025 before being recommended for approval by full Council on 11 December 2025.
The Council has also started working with partners to develop a Gambling Related Harms Strategy for the borough this year. Once in place this will be referenced in the Statement of Licensing Principles.