Councils when acting as a licensing authority need to ensure that the decisions that they make are ‘robust and according to law’ at all times. This applies equally to decisions made under delegated authority by Officers or those made by Members. The mechanisms and reasonings lying behind the actual decisions are of critical importance to achieving this goal. This course will focus on these aspects with an emphasis on Hackney and Private Hire, Alcohol and Regulated Entertainment practice and procedures.
The day, which will be divided into four one-hour sessions, will include the three core topics listed below, each of which will look in detail at its subject, the relevant law, and its practical application. These sessions will be interactive and may include one or more practical exercises in which attendees will be able to participate. Attendees will be requested to consider these areas of practice in advance and are also invited to submit questions or practical examples of difficulties they have encountered for possible discussion on the day. Any examples should be anonymised.
Core sessions
Covid-19: The aftermath - A Phoenix Rising?
Spiking – A new endemic?
Making decisions that are robust and according to law
There will also be a number of ‘hot topic’ sessions taken from the list below where the latest developments in those areas will be set out and discussed to establish the direction of travel. The ‘temperature’ of each topic will be assessed some two weeks before the course to finalise the hottest which will be discussed on the day. These topics will be looked at in a workshop format with full interaction and may be taken within the core sessions above. The day will conclude with an open forum Q&A session, time and the previous sessions permitting.
Hot Topic sessions:
DBS and Police Common Law Disclosure
Home to School Transport
Tax Conditionality
More National Standards?
Agent of Change
Cross Border Working and Enforcement
New legislation?
This course is suitable for experienced practitioners, particularly those who have the responsibility of providing legal advice to a Licensing Authority, the Police, or a Responsible Authority. Delegates with intermediate to advanced knowledge of licensing law and procedure will benefit most, although those with lesser knowledge and a desire to learn are welcome.
Stephen D. Turner, MStJ., MIoL, LLB
Stephen Turner is a solicitor with Kingston upon Hull City Council and specialises in regulatory prosecutions and licensing. He qualified in 1986 and was in private practice before moving into local government in 1994. Stephen has been solely responsible for advice to the Council and its Officers on all aspects of licensing law and procedure since 2004. He advises the Committee and Officers in connection with all applications, reviews, prosecutions, and appeals concerning licensing matters from taxis and private hire to sex shops, zoos and scrap metal dealers and is Legal Advisor to the Committee when in session. Stephen also deals with advocacy arising from decisions of the Committee by way of appeals or from the prosecution of offenders under all relevant legislation. Stephen is an experienced prosecutor for the regulatory departments of the Council dealing with all types of high-end cases from counterfeiting to food safety and fraud.
Stephen has presented lectures, workshops, and seminars to a variety of audiences including magistrates, solicitors, members of the Institute of Licensing, Council Members and Officers and others within his areas of interest and expertise.
Steve is a Past National Chair of Solicitors in Local Government (SLG now Lawyers in Local Government (LLG)), a former Chair and Branch Secretary of the Yorkshire and the Humber Branch of SLG/LLG, and the Litigation and Licensing Deputy National Lead (Licensing) for LLG. Steve is also the Vice Chairman of the Northeast Region of the Institute of Licensing (IoL) and an Independent Trainer, Lecturer, Mentor and Consultant. Steve chaired the IoL’s Working Party in 2018 which produced and published the Guidance on the relevance of previous convictions in Hackney and Private Hire Licencing.
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09:30 - 14:45
Online
