Issue - meetings

Report of Director of Community Protection

The meeting was adjourned at 10:02am so that the Committee could receive advice and a briefing regarding a late representation.  The meeting resumed at 10:28am.

John Davis, Taxi Licensing Manager, and Paul Dales, Chief Environmental Health Officer, presented the report proposing approval of a Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence Allocations Policy.  They highlighted the following information:

a)  The Council currently limits the number of Hackney Carriage Vehicle licences it will issue to 420. By 30 June 2020, all licensed vehicles should have been Euro 6 Diesel or ZEC ULEV and within the relevant age range to comply with the Age and Specification Policy.  However, due to Covid-19 restrictions and a number of proprietors not wishing to move to new vehicles, a large number of licences have been surrendered, not renewed or otherwise become available.  At its meeting on 14 December 2020 the Committee agreed that a policy should be devised to deal with the allocation of these licences.

b)  As of 16 August 2021, there were 177 vehicles compliant with the Council policy; 33 vehicles had been refused a licence and the proprietors had appealed against that decision to the Magistrates Court; 50 proprietors had informed the Council that they did not wish to renew their licence; and 160 licences had expired or been refused (with no outstanding appeal) without an application for a policy compliant vehicle having been made.

c)  Therefore 243 licences can be issued before the limit of 420 licences is reached.

d)  Officers consider that the proposed policy is fair, workable and reasonable. 

e)  The proposed policy was consulted on between 26 July and 22 August 2021.  All current proprietors were written to, consultation took place with the relevant Hackney Trade organisations and the proposed policy was available on the Council’s website and publicised on social media.

f)  5 consultation responses were received.  Respondents asked the Council for financial support to purchase policy compliant vehicles or to delay the reallocation of licences due to the adverse effect of the Covid pandemic on the hackney trade. 

g)  In response to the points raised by consultation respondents, it is the view that individual business responsibility lies with the business owner; proprietors will have had two years since the Age and Specification Policy came into effect to comply; and given that less than half the available licences are currently operating it is appropriate that the Council re-allocates the available licences to ensure appropriate provision of hackney carriage vehicles within the public transport network.

h)  There has been a negative financial impact on the Council as a result of lost income from those licences not renewed/ allocated.  Adoption of the policy will enable licences to be brought back into operation and reduce further financial implications of lost income.

i)  As the local economy is not antiicpated to return to pre-Covid levels for a significant period of time, it is proposed to allow time for the taxi trade and economy to become more stable before a survey of unmet demand is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11