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East Lothian Licensing Board
Licensing is the responsibility of independent local Licensing Boards and deal with licensing under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Gambling Act 2005. A Licensing Board is a separate legal entity from the local authority within whose area it sits.
The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 balances the rights of the majority of people who drink responsibly against the need to protect local communities from nuisance and crime associated with misuse of alcohol. The Act is based on five licensing objectives:
- preventing crime and disorder
- securing public safety
- preventing public nuisance
- protecting and improving public health
- protecting children and young persons from harm
In exercising its functions, the Board must have regard to these objectives.
The Board currently comprises six members, all of whom are elected members of East Lothian Council. East Lothian Licensing Forum is the community’s voice on alcohol licensing issues – the Board and the Forum have at least one joint meeting each year.
Every five years, the Board is required to publish a Statement of its Licensing Policy on the exercise of its functions. Also published, are the Annual Function Report and the Board’s annual Income and Expenditure.