Action may be taken against a Barrow restaurant and takeaway when its premises licence comes under the spotlight.
The Taj Mahal is under review after it was issued with an illegal working compliance order by Lancaster Magistrates’ Court on April 24 of this year. Such orders aim to stop employers from utilising illegal workers.
And, as part of the process, the eatery in Cavendish Street is to be assessed by a meeting of Westmorland and Furness Council’s licensing committee tomorrow, Friday.
The councillors on the committee will have a number of options open to them.
They will be able to choose to modify the conditions of the premises licence, to add or remove conditions, to exclude a licensable activity from the scope of the licence, to amend the licensable hours, to remove the designated premises supervisor, or to suspend the licence for a period of no longer than three months. Multiple courses of action can be taken.
The committee also has the power to revoke the licence. It can choose, in addition, to take no action.
The premises licence holder at the Taj Mahal is Abu Nasim Mohammad Shamim and the designated premises supervisor is Fahchin Ahmed.
The illegal working compliance order that led to the premises licence review came after an illegal working closure notice was issued to the restaurant on April 23.
This followed a raid of the Taj Mahal by immigration officers that resulted in an arrest.
Mr Ahmed said last week: “When the immigration people did come, the person they found – he’s got a legal right to work. But the only thing he doesn’t have the legal right to work as is as a chef.
“There is a list of occupations you can work as. There’s quite a number of occupations he can work as – chef was on there. They have taken it out. It was on the list.”
Any decision taken by the committee at Barrow Town Hall on Friday would take effect 21 days after the premises licence holder is notified of the outcome.
