widget/exchange-29
widget/exchange-30widget/exchange-33
widget/exchange-31

Council / Licensing board sees income drop by more than £10,000

SHETLAND’s licensing board recorded a deficit of nearly £3,000 over the last year as income reduced and staff costs increased.

It is a different picture compared to the previous year, which saw the board posted a surplus of more than £13,000.

Members of the board heard at a meeting on Monday that the restrictions imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic have had an obvious effect on licensing applications as events were ruled out.

The number of occasional licences granted in 2020/21 stood at only 12, compared to 126 the year before.

However, there has been a rise in the number of applications – which come with a £10 cost – since the start of April, the board heard.

In 2020/21 the board recorded income of around £50,292, while the expenditure was roughly £53,150.

This left a deficit of nearly £3,000, and represented a drop in income of more than £10,000.

offset-carousel/post-mobile/0

The board responsible for regulating the sale of alcohol to the public and certain gambling activities by issuing alcohol licences and betting and gambling permits.

The board is made up of a number of councillors.

Council lawyer Paul Wishart, who was presenting the annual report, said it was his intention to bring a paper to a future meeting of the board on licence fees in response to the 2020/21 deficit.

He said the board has a duty to in effect break even every year.

But Lerwick councillor Stephen Leask warned against the impacts potentially raising fees could have on licence holders.

He was concerned over the potential for a “reactive rather than proactive” approach.

“I do feel that the licensees and all the businesses have had a really, really difficult year due to the Covid-19, and I think that’s something we have to take into consideration,” Leask said.

Shetland South member George Smith, however, said he felt the board was in danger of “getting ahead of itself” when talking about fees.

He also said the number of occasional licence applications increasing was a good indicator of community confidence in holding events.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
widget/pd_widget-6widget/pd_widget-7widget/exchange-53widget/exchange-54widget/pd_widget-8widget/exchange-55widget/pd_widget-9widget/exchange-56

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.