The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005

• To keep under review the operation of the new Licensing Act in the Forum area.
• To review the relevant Licensing Board's functions.
• To give advice and make recommendations to the Board in relation to those matters as the Forum considers appropriate.  This will be mainly at a policy level as the Forum cannot comment on individual cases.

It is worth noting that all aspects of the Act relate back to the 5 licensing objectives which are:

• Preventing crime and disorder
• Securing public safety
• Preventing public nuisance
• Protecting and improving public health
• Protecting children from harm

10   Local Licensing Forums

1. Each council must establish a Local Licensing Forum for their area.
2. However, where the area of a council is divided into licensing divisions, the council may, instead of establishing a local Licensing Forum for their area, establish separate such Forums for each division.
3. Each Licensing Board must hold, at least once in each calendar year, a joint meeting with the Local Licensing Forum for the Board's area.

Schedule 2 (introduced by s.10 (4)):

Local Licensing Forums

1 – Introductory

In this schedule, “Forum” means a Local Licensing Forum established under Section 10.

2 – Membership

1. A Forum is to consist of such number (being not fewer than 5 and not more than 20) of members as the relevant council may determine.
2. The Scottish Ministers may by order substitute another number for the minimum or maximum number of members for the time being specified in sub-paragraph (1).
3. At least one of the members must be a Licensing Standards Officer for the council's area.
4. The other members are to be individuals appointed by the relevant council on such terms and conditions as the relevant council may determine.
5. In appointing members of a Forum, the relevant council must seek to ensure so far as possible that the membership of the Forum is representative of the interests of persons or descriptions of persons who have an interest which is relevant to the Forum's general functions.
6. Those persons include:
   1. holders of premises licences and personal licences,
   2. the chief constable for the police area in which the Forum's area is situated,
   3. persons having functions relating to health, education or social work,
   4. young people,
   5. persons resident within the Forum's area.

3 – Convener

1. At their first meeting in each calendar year, a Forum must elect one of the members of the Forum to be the convener of the Forum.
2. The convener holds office, on such terms and conditions as the relevant council may determine, until the next election under sub-paragraph (1).
3. Meetings of the Forum are to be chaired by the convener.
4. If the office of convener is vacant or the convener is for any reason unable to act, a meeting of the Forum may be chaired by any other member present.

4 – Administrative Support

A council must provide each Forum established by them, or ensure each such Forum is provided, with such staff, property and services as the council considers are required for the Forum's purposes.

5 – Meetings and Proceedings

1. Each Forum must, in each calendar year, hold at least 4 meetings.
2. The quorum for a meeting of a Forum is one half of the number of members (but in any case not fewer than 3).
3. Meetings of a Forum must be held in public.
4. Otherwise, the arrangements for meetings of a Forum and other matters relating to proceedings of the Forum, are to be such as the Forum may determine.
5. The proceedings of a Forum are not affected by:
   1. any vacancy in the membership of the Forum, or
   2. any defect in the appointment of a member of the Forum.