FOI request (FOIR-509237435)

Spiking: South East Local Authorities (responsible for licensing premises)

Requested Thu 20 April 2023
Responded  Tue 02 May 2023

The Local Government Association offer guidance on good practice for licensing authorities in response to spiking. Our inquiries relate to the extent to which your licensing authority implements these recommendations. Specifically:

1. Do you explicitly reference spiking prevention in your statement of licensing policy?

2. Have you run a communications campaign to clearly demonstrate that your council takes a zero-tolerance approach to spiking?

3. Which of the following partnership schemes and training packages are referenced in your statement of licensing policy?

a. Pubwatch

b. Best Bar None

c. Purple Flag

d. Community Alcohol Partnerships

e. Street Pastors

f. The Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) initiative

g. 'Ask for Angela'

4. Has your licensing authority followed the recommendation of the Home Affairs Select Committee to consider the prevalence, prevention and reporting of sexual harassment and misconduct and gender-based violence in statements of licensing policy.

5. For the previous 5 calendar years, please provide the number of venues which have had their licence suspended, revoked, or/and had conditions added to the licence, as a result of spiking incidents within the venue. Please could you provide this data broken down by year.

6. How many incidents of alleged spiking have been recorded by the licensing authority in the past five years. Please break down by year.

7. Please provide details of the three most recent cases where a venue has had its licence suspended, revoked or/and had conditions added, as a result of spiking incidents.

Response

1. Yes

2. No, but we are currently in discussion with Police and the County Council Alcohol harm reductions team.

3. Pubwatch is being re-introduced following COVID-19. Funding has just been sourced for training on violence reduction.

4. To be reviewed at next the mid-term review.

5. None recorded.

6. None recorded.

7. None recorded.