Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

To agree the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 21 November 2023 and the Sub-Committee hearing held on 11 December 2023.

The Minutes of the Committee meeting held on 21 November 2023 and the Sub Committee Hearing held on 11 December 2023 were agreed and signed as a true record.

Report of the Chief Legal Officer

The Licensing and Regulatory Committee received a report of the Chief Legal Officer regarding the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Fee Review 2024. The report informed members of a review of the current fees in relation to the licensing of Taxis and Private hire drivers, vehicles and operators and following the required consultation process, and sought approval to adopt the proposed new fees and charges.

Two taxi licensee representatives attended the meeting and spoke regarding their concerns to increasing fees and the impact this would have on drivers. As a result, it was agreed that representatives would consult with officers regarding the fee report and consultation process.

The committee questioned Officers and received responses on a number of matters including:

·  Officer numbers in light of the decrease of hackney carriage drivers.

·  Future changes to DBS and DVLA checks and the impact on taxi licensing and the voluntary sector.

·  The current number of private hire drivers.

·  Fee increases in comparison to benchmarking of other authorities.

·  Vehicle re-grants.

·  Concerns over training and skills of enforcement officers.

·  Officer time spent conducting face to face appointments with hackney carriage and private hire applicants.

·  The provision for more officer training in a self-funded system.

RESOLVED that, the Licensing and Regulatory Committee:

1)  Approves, subject to consideration of any comments received, the proposed fee changes detailed in Appendix A.

2)  Authorises the Chief Legal Officer to make the necessary arrangements to advertise the applicable proposed fee variations.

3)  Notes that if any formal objections are received in response to the statutory notice that a further report will be presented on the 12th of March 2024.

There were no outstanding issues.

There were no other items of public business.