Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services.

The Committee considered a joint report of the Town Clerk and the Director of Community and Children’s Services that sought approval to an amendment to the Scheme of Delegations to delegate marriage premises licensing to the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Discussions ensued regarding the fee charged for the marriage premises license. Officers recommended that they be tasked with investigating the possibility of changing the fee charged from £1,000 for a 3-year license to £1,500 for a 5-year license. Some Members of the Committee agreed that to ensure a decision was made by 1^st April 2017 when information regarding fees was published that the decision be taken under delegate authority. Other Members felt that the decision should be bought back to the Committee for consideration. A motion was proposed that the matter be bought back to a Committee meeting and was seconded by a Member of the Committee; the matter was put to a vote with two Members voting in favour of the motion and eight voting against it. The motion was lost and the Committee agreed to delegate the matter to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.

RESOLVED – That the amendment of Paragraph 29 of the Delegations to the Director of the Community and Children’s Services be approved for consideration by the Court of Common Council; and that authority be delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman to review and agree the marriage premises license fee.