Issue - meetings

Report of Interim Director for Communities.

Nick Burns, Licensing and Policy Manager, presented the report regarding the Review of Age and Specification Policy Relating to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles, and highlighted the following points:

(a)  The Committee was asked to consider proposals to amend the Council’s Age and Specification Policy, including the removal of the requirement for a minimum engine size, and to release the proposals for a four-week consultation;

(b)  The current Age and Specification Policy was adopted on 18 December 2017, and outlined various requirements to be implemented over a range of dates up to 01 January 2030. It is felt appropriate to review the Policy in light of changes in market and trade, and to reflect changes to national guidance and policy;

(c)  The government recently announced that restrictions on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles would be pushed back from 2030 to 2035, reducing the urgency to move the fleet to newer vehicles. It is proposed that the implementation date for requiring any vehicle being licensed for the first time as a hackney carriage or private hire to be ZEC ULEV be moved back from 01 January 2025 to 01 January 2027;

(d)  Since the adoption of the policy, a number of hackney carriage proprietors have chosen not to move over to Euro 6 and ZEC ULEV vehicles, in some cases resulting in appeals against the Council’s decision not to renew licences for non-policy compliant vehicles, which were dismissed. A number of proprietors have chosen to leave the trade or move to other licensing authorities. There has been a reduction in the number of hackney carriage licenses issued from 411 to 205, and a reduction in private hire licenses from 1850 to 1566 since December 2019;

(e)  The trade has advised that it is difficult to source compliant vehicles, due to price increases and competition. There has also been a reduction in the makes and models of compliant vehicles being manufactured;

(f)  A significant number of proprietors are choosing to license their vehicles with other licensing authorities to keep using non-compliant vehicles, and are often able to continue to lawfully come into the Council’s administrative area to trade, which can affect the Council’s ability to keep members of the public safe where other licensing authorities’ standards may not be in alignment;

(g)  A review has been carried out which seeks to address these issues while maintaining public safety and welfare. It is hoped that the proposed revisions will encourage proprietors to return or apply to the Council as licensing authority so that the majority of the fleet operating in the city is licensed by the Council, so that the Council has the ability to inspect vehicles, take appropriate enforcement action when necessary and increase public safety;

(h)  While the revised Policy applies less stringent requirements than those originally introduced, they aim to address the practicalities around current supply issues and financial climate while being consistent with guidance and without compromising passenger safety and welfare.

In the discussion which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17