Agenda item

(Director of Corporate Support Services) To consider the attached report.

The Assistant Director of Corporate Support Services (Legal) introduced a report on Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.

The Assistant Director reminded the Committee that it had agreed in April 2012 to set a fare tariff for journeys undertaken within the District and that meters should be installed in Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles. The Department of Transport had issued guidance that recommended the Council should adopt a policy in respect of taxi meters which would inform its decision making. In April 2013, the Committee had agreed a draft policy for public consultation.

The Assistant Director reported on the results of the public consultation. A number of typographical errors had been highlighted, which had subsequently been corrected. The draft Policy had outlined Licensing Objectives for taxi licensing and a procedure for considering applicants with criminal records, but no comments were received about either of these. The Licence conditions for Hackney Carriage Driver’s and Proprietor’s Licences had been updated, mainly to reflect the proposed introduction of meters. Representations had been received both in favour of and against the proposals. The conditions for Private Hire Vehicle and Driver Licences had also been updated to reflect current practice. One suggestion was for Drivers to display a large photograph and their badge number in the taxi; currently, Driver’s badges had a small photograph similar in size to the Council identity badges.

The Assistant Director stated that if the Committee was minded to agree to meters being installed, then the proposed tariff (as attached at Annex 1 of the report) would be advertised in January 2014, with implementation planned for April 2014.

It was suggested that this item should be deferred, as less than 50% of the Members of the Committee were present at the meeting. The Assistant Director highlighted that this course of action would affect the timetable for the implementation of taxi meters, but as this was a new venture for the District then the issue could be deferred. The Assistant Director suggested that the Committee could agree the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, without reference to taxi meters. The Committee noted that this process had been on-going for two years, with support from the District Taxi Drivers Association, and that as the proposed tariff was slightly higher than the current charges levied by local taxi companies then the tariff would not be out-dated if implementation was delayed for a short while.

The Committee suggested that the Chairman of the Committee should be consulted with as to whether the issue of taxi meters be deferred to the next scheduled meeting in April 2014 or an extra-ordinary meeting of the Committee arranged in the meantime.

Resolved:

(1)        That the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, without reference to the implementation of taxi meters, be recommended to the Council for adoption; and

(2)        That consultation be undertaken with the Chairman of the Licensing Committee regarding whether the issue of taxi meters be deferred until the next scheduled meeting of the Committee in April 2014 or an extra-ordinary meeting be arranged in the meantime.