Agenda item

To consider the application at 2:00pm.

Contact: Rox Javaid, Licensing Officer, Tel: 01484 221 000

RESOLVED:

That the Premises License for Hao Lai Karaoke Bar, 33-35 Kirkgate, Huddersfield, HD1 1QT, be revoked.

The Panel considered a report which outlined an application for the review of a Premises Licence for Hao Lai Karaoke Bar, 33-35 Kirkgate, Huddersfield, HD1 1QT.

The Licensing Officer advised the Panel that on 12^th May 2025, West Yorkshire Police submitted an application for the review of the premises licence for Hao Lai Karaoke Bar under section 51 of the Licensing Act 2003.

The applicant believed that the licensing objectives in respect of Prevention of Crime and Disorder and Public Safety were not being met.

The Panel were informed that on 25^th April 2025 a joint operation was carried out which included officers from West Yorkshire Police, Licensing Officers from Kirklees Council and Immigration Officers from the Home Office. The purpose of the operation was to visit certain premises across Huddersfield to investigate the employment of illegal workers.

Immigration workers discovered illegal workers at the premises and carried out arrests. West Yorkshire Police believed the premises licence holder may have breached employment/criminal law by allowing illegal workers to operate from licensed premises, and suspected that sexual services may have been offered to clients in the massage rooms that were found in the basement and on the ground floor.

Further breaches of the licence conditions were found, including: a lack of CCTV recordings, a failure to maintain refusal logs, no incident log available for inspection and no evidence of training logs.

The Licensing Officer further advised that the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) had resigned his voluntary post as of 1^st June 2025 and the Premises License Holder had been informed that they would need to stop selling alcohol while a DPS was not in place.

A letter had been received from the Premises Licence Holder stating that they had stopped selling alcohol, however the premises license had not been surrendered, and alcohol sales were still part of the active licence.

Richard Woodhead, West Yorkshire Police advised the Panel that Police and Council Officers had visited the premises on several occasions since review proceedings had begun, and the bar had been closed.

A representative for the Premises Licence Holder read a statement advising the Panel that there were no illegal workers, but family members, who spoke no English and had been confused by the questioning from West Yorkshire Police and the Immigration Officer. The statement also confirmed that Mrs Li did not employ illegal workers or sell alcoholic drinks.

Mrs Li’s representative also informed the Panel that as soon as Mrs Li had been made aware of the illicit sexual activity taking place, Mrs Li had taken action to stop this, and that Police Officers had visited the premises on several occasions, along with immigration officers visiting their home address.

During consideration of all the information presented both verbally and in writing, the Panel felt it necessary to ask further questions regarding the licensing objectives in respect to the CCTV and refusal book and asked all parties to rejoin the meeting.

The Chair requested further detail from the Licensing Officer around the CCTV not being available to view and the refusal book not being in place, which were conditions of the original Premises Licence.

The Licensing Officer confirmed that at the visit on 25^th April 2025 the CCTV had not been working and there was no one available who was trained to operate it. There was no refusal book available for inspection, and no incident book, and despite the Premises Licence Holder being emailed about this there had been no further information given.

Having considered all the information presented both verbally and in writing, the Panel, in reaching its decision, had due regard to the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, the statutory guidance issued under section 182 of the Act, the Councils Statement of Licensing Policy and the relevant provisions of the Human Rights Act.

RESOLVED -

That the Premises License for Hao Lai Karaoke Bar, 33-35 Kirkgate, Huddersfield, HD1 1QT, be revoked.