Section 56 – Duties of Licensing Boards to produce annual reports
184.This provision inserts sections 9A and 9B into the 2005 Act, requiring Licensing Boards to produce an annual report on the exercise of their functions, summary of decisions made by the Board and information about the number of licences held under the Act.; and an annual financial report on their alcohol licensing activities.
185.Section 9A(1), (2) place a duty on Licensing Boards to prepare and publish an annual report on the exercise of their functions no later than three months after the end of the financial year. This report should contain a statement explaining how the Board has had regard to the licensing objectives, their licensing policy statement, and any supplementary licensing policy statement in the exercise of their functions under the 2005 Act during the financial year.
186.Section 9A(3) provides that a report under this section may include such other information about the exercise of the Licensing Board’s functions under the 2005 Act as the Board consider appropriate.
187.Section 9A(4) provides that at the request of the Licensing Board the relevant council must provide the Board with such information as the Board may reasonably require for the purpose of preparing a report under this section.
188.Section 9A(5) provides that a Licensing Board may, if they consider it appropriate, prepare and publish a combined report containing the information required under section 9A and also section 9B (Annual financial report). A combined report must be published not later than 3 months after the end of the financial year in question.
189.Section 9A(6) gives the Scottish Ministers an order making power to make further provision about reports under this section, including provision about the form and content of reports; and the publication of reports.
190.Section 9B(1), (2) and (3) place a duty on Licensing Boards to prepare and publish an annual financial report no later than three months after the end of the financial year. It should contain details of relevant income received by the Licensing Board during the financial year; details of relevant expenditure incurred in respect of the Board’s area during the year; and an explanation of how the amounts in the report were calculated. The Board is required to break down its figures into the component sources of relevant income and expenditure. Relevant income for example would be premises licence application fees, personal licence fees or fees charged in respect of an application to vary a premises licence and relevant expenditure would for example be the salary cost of a Licensing Standards Officer in respect of his duties under the alcohol licensing regime or the costs for the Board in administering the alcohol licensing regime
191.Section 9B(4) provides that at the request of the Licensing Board the relevant council must provide the Board with such information as the Board may reasonably require for the purpose of preparing a report under this section. Subsection (5) gives the Scottish Ministers an order making power to make further provision about reports under this section, including provision about the form and content of reports; further details on what constitutes relevant income and relevant expenditure; and the publication of reports.
