Agenda for Regulatory and Appeals Committee on Friday, 16th March, 2018, 10.30 am

Agenda and minutes

Venue: LB 31 - Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham, NG2 3NG. View directions

Contact: Mark Leavesley  Governance Officer

Items
No. Item

23.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Councillor Armstrong  -  personal

Councillor Barnard  )  other Council business

Councillor Liversidge   )

Councillor Saghir  -  unwell

Councillor Smith  -  leave

 

Councillor Power  )  for lateness

Councillor Williams  ) 

 

24.

Declarations of Interests

If you need advice on declaring an interest, please contact the Governance Officer above, if possible before the day of the meeting

Minutes:

None.

25.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 119 KB

Last meeting held on 26 February 2018 (for confirmation)

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 February 2018 were confirmed as a true record and were signed by the Chair.

26.

Hackney Carriage vehicle specification pdf icon PDF 229 KB

Report of Director of Community Protection

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Following the deferment of the item at the meeting on 26 February 2018, Angela Rawson, Regional Licensing Manager, presented the report with Richard Antcliff, Head of City Centre Management and Regulation.

 

As of 1 January 2020, Nottingham City Centre will become a designated ‘Clean Air Zone’. Of the 411 Hackney Carriages (‘cabs’) currently licensed by Nottingham City Council, 406 will require placement at an average cost of approximately £56,000 each.

 

With such a substantial outlay required from drivers, to assist in minimising cost and maximising income, licensing officers have proposed and implemented some the following measures:

 

(i)  a livery refresh from British racing green to black and white with the Councils Coat of Arms clearly identifiable. (The new livery is welcomed by cab owners, particularly as there would be an additional cost of approximately £2,000 if cabs were required to be re-sprayed green or any other colour, whereas all manufacturers provide black at no extra cost);

 

(ii)  the replacement vehicle models selected will provide an average of £120 per week saving on fuel;

 

(iii)  introduction of ‘my taxi’ as partner to enable access to online pre-booked fares;

 

(iv)  continued promotion of City licensed cabs as safe due to the standards which must be met by these cabs, including the requirements of drivers passing a ‘fit and proper persons’ test;

 

(v)  proposed revision of the advertising policy for Hackney Carriages;

 

(vi)  support in creating business plans to help maximise income.

It is proposed that whilst the body of the cabs remain black with white Council Coat of Arms on the front doors and a larger Council Coat of Arms on the bonnet, the roof of the cabs will be white. It is suggested that this livery is initially on trial for a few months and then the feedback of drivers reviewed.

 

Consultation events, to which members of the Committee were invited, have taken place on Market Square with examples of the proposed rebranding available for inspection. In addition, specifically for members of the Committee, a cab with the proposed new livery was available for inspected at the front of the building.

 

Committee members’ comments and questions included:

 

(a)  at the previous meeting, the change of colour was raised as an issue by members, but the proposals are welcomed by organisations representing the drivers such as the Hackney Carriage Association and Unite. The additional cost to drivers of a respray cannot be easily justified;

 

(b)  drivers are experiencing a difficult time as trade is reducing. It’s important that Nottingham City licenced cabs are easily identifiable to citizens wanting to hail a cab, particularly when cabs from other areas such as Gedling and Broxtowe regularly enter the City;

 

(c)  having previously inspected the new model cabs, which are noticeably higher than current models, the white roofs of the proposed livery are almost indistinguishable and do not clearly identify the cabs from other operators;

 

(d)  the proposed size of the Council Coat of Arms is not prominent enough to be easily distinguishable by citizens,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

27.

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Advertising Policy - Review pdf icon PDF 232 KB

Report of Director of Community Protection

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Angela Rawson, Regional Licensing Manager and Richard Antcliff, Head of City Centre Management and Regulation, presented the report which proposes a revised advertising policy for Hackney Carriages and Private Hire vehicles.

 

The current space available for advertising on Hackney Carriages (‘cabs’) is limited and discrete, but to attract a broader scope of advertisers, and therefore generate further income, it is proposed that a larger surface area of the cab, including additional areas of the interior, is made available for advertising. It is anticipated that this will attract high quality ‘wrap’ (a vinyl sheeting or magnetic panel applied to the vehicle) advertising, particularly as 300 drivers have come together to offer their combined advertising capacity.

 

Currently, other than the Councils Coat of Arms, the only logo authorised is the ‘my taxi’ logo which includes ‘your licensed taxi’ and is positioned on the rear doors.

 

Pictures illustrating the potential variety and scope of wrap advertising were circulated to the Committee and included examples of full vehicle wraps and lesser variations. If potential for full wrap advertising were approved, the Councils Coat of Arms would need to be removed from the vehicle and replaced once the advertisement is removed. An alternative option would be a ‘super side wrap’ covering the front wing, doors, and the rear of the vehicle, but not the top nor the bonnet.

 

Committee Members’ comments included:

 

(a)  if full wrap were approved, it would negate the safety aspects discussed during the previous item, as there would be nothing to identify the vehicle as a City Council licensed cab compared to a vehicle from any other another area which also allowed wrap around advertising;

 

(b)  full wrap advertising is neither attractive nor desirable;

 

(c)  the Councils Coat of Arms needs to be clearly visible and identifiable;

 

(d)  it would not necessarily be appropriate to put the Councils Coat of Arms on top of advertising, and may not be acceptable for advertisers;

 

(e)  wrap advertising is not the only option as digital advertising on roof lights is available and has to adhere to strict standards. However, whilst these roof lights are expensive at approximately £10,000 each, they can also be used to display public messages;

 

(f)  the use of roof lights raises safety and aesthetic impact concerns;

 

(g)  the Committee needs to be mindful of the huge investment asked of drivers in purchasing new vehicles and ensure that income capacity for drivers is maximised; advertising is a valuable opportunity;

 

(h)  if super side wraps are approved, the Council Coat of Arms on the bonnet needs to be very prominent to enable citizens to identify the vehicle as City Council licensed.

 

Overall Members of the Committee favoured the ‘super side wrap’ option for advertising as the maximum coverage of the cab, ensuring that the Council Coat of Arms was clearly identifiable on the bonnet.

 

RESOLVED to delegate authority to the Chair, in consultation with the Vice-Chair and Lead Opposition Member, to determine the final detail of the revised Hackney Carriage and Private  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.