Agenda and minutes

The Licensing Sub-Committee noted that Councillor R Morgan was substituting for Councillor P Keska.

(Director of Governance) To declare interests in any item on this agenda.

There were no declarations of interest made pursuant to the Council’s Member Code of Conduct.

The Sub-Committee noted the agreed procedure for the conduct of business.

Exclusion: To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Background Papers:  Article 17 - Access to Information, Procedure Rules of the Constitution define background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)        disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

The Council will make available for public inspection for four years after the date of the meeting one copy of each of the documents on the list of background papers.

RESOLVED:

(1)  That, in accordance with Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or were confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

(Director of Neighbourhoods) To consider the attached report.

The Sub-Committee considered an application for a new Private Hire Driver’s Licence by Mr L Pascovitch. The three Councillors that presided over this item were Councillors R Morgan (Chairman), N Bedford and S Neville.

Members noted that Officers did not have delegated powers to grant this application and, as a result, the application had to be considered by the Sub-Committee.

The Chairman welcomed the Applicant and introduced the Members and Officers present. The Licensing Manager informed the Sub-Committee of the circumstances under which the Licence could not be issued under delegated authority.

The Applicant made a short statement in support of his application before answering a number of questions from Members of the Sub-Committee.

The Chairman explained to the Applicant that his application would be treated on  its own merits before the Sub-Committee – the Chairman, Councillors N Bedford and S Neville – along with relevant officers left the Committee Room to consider the application in private session in the Chairman’s Room.

The Sub-Committee reconvened in the Committee Room and the Chairman informed him of the Sub-Committee’s decision.

RESOLVED:

That the application for a Private Hire Driver’s Licence be granted to Mr L Pascovitch for a period of three years on condition that Mr L Pascovitch presented his driving licence information sheet each time his registered Private Hire Vehicle Licence was checked. This condition would expire when his Private Hire Driver’s Licence came up for renewal. If Mr L Pascovitch got any more points he must report this immediately.