Agenda item

Report of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Services

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of Streetscene and Regulatory Service which sought approval for 12-week public consultation on the amendments required to the existing City Council Taxi Licensing requirements to bring them in-line with new standards for taxi and private hire vehicles required by the Department of Transport. The standards were set out in the Department’s “Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards”. The report detailed how these recommendations would impact the City Council’s Taxi Licensing processes. The report was also to be submitted to the Licensing and Regulatory Committee at their meeting on 27 April 2021.

The report indicated that the recommendations in the DfT report were designed to regulate better the taxi and private hire vehicle sector through the development of a national set of core common minimum standards. The document set out a framework of policies that any licensing authority in England and Wales “must have regard” to when exercising their functions. Standards detailed replaced previous 2010 Best Practice Guidance issued by the DfT and were expected to be implemented unless there was a compelling local reason not to.

The Cabinet Member was informed that some of the standards highlighted in the DfT document were already covered in Coventry’s current processes and this report highlighted the recommendations that would require amendment to current policy and practice as follows:

i) Taxi Licensing Policies - licensing authorities to make publically available a cohesive policy document that brings together all of their procedures in relation to the licensing of taxis and private hire vehicles.

ii) The Disclosure and Barring Service - drivers should undergo enhanced DBS checks at least every six months to enable the licensing authority to routinely check for new information. Vehicle proprietors should also undertake a basic disclosure from the DBS annually (where they are not also drivers).

In order to ensure that licence holders continued to comply with the standards required they would be required to notify the licensing authority within 48 hours of: an arrest and release, charge or conviction of any sexual offence, any offence involving dishonesty or violence and any motoring offence. The DfT report also recommended that licensing authorities should use national databases to share information about licence refusals and revocations to mitigate the risk of non-disclosure of relevant information by applicants. The report recommended that licensing authorities should use national databases to share information about licence refusals and revocations.

iii) CCTV in Vehicles - The DfT considered that the use of CCTV could provide a safer environment for the benefit of both the drivers and users of taxis / private hire vehicles. All licensing authorities were required to consult to identify if there were local circumstances which would indicate that CCTV camera in vehicles would have a positive or negative effect on users and drivers.

iv) Private Hire Operators – additional conditions were required for holders of operator’s licences which were set out in the report.

v) Enforcing the Licensing Regime - licensing authorities should, where required, jointly authorise officers from other authorities to be able to take compliance and enforcement action against licensees from outside their authority area. In addition, the DfT report provided further information on considerations for the assessment of previous convictions which would assist Licensing and Regulatory Committee when whether an individual was ‘fit and proper’ to hold a taxi or private hire vehicle licence.

The report detailed implications associated with these recommendations.

It was proposed that a 12 week public consultation be undertaken on the changes to current policy and process required to meet the standards highlighted. A full list of consultees was set out at an appendix to the report. The consultation would include identification around the considered requirements to make the use of CCTV cameras in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles a mandatory licensing requirement.

RESOLVED that a 12-week public consultation on the proposals to amend the Councils current Taxi Licensing requirements to ensure that they are in line with the standards required by the Department for Transport be approved.