Agenda item

To consider the Executive Director – Place’s report which proposes the approval of the draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2024-2029 for public consultation.

 

Recommendation:

The Licensing Committee is recommended to:

·        approve the draft Shared Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy for consultation, as set out in Appendix 1; and

·        authorise the Executive Director – Place to make any necessary minor alterations and typographical corrections to the Policy prior to publication for consultation.

NOTE:  During discussion on this item, Cllr Forster declared a personal interest in respect of his employer’s business which installed rapid electric charging points.

 

The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director – Place which sought approval of a draft Shared Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Policy for public consultation. 

 

It was noted that the draft Policy sought to ensure the consistency, efficiency and effectiveness of processes across both Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hart District Council areas.

 

Members were given a summary of the proposed changes to the Policy which had been made either as a result of the introduction of legislation or amended legislation/guidance or as a consequence of meetings of the Licensing Sub-Committee (as set out in Appendix 2 – Summary of Changes) in the areas of:

 

·       layout and design;

·       public liability insurance;

·       penalty points;

·       convictions policy;

·       ‘no booking, no ride’ stickers;

·       vehicle age;

·       age of vehicle extension;

·       private hire driver conditions;

·       private hire vehicle conditions;

·       revised vehicle testing frequency and test criteria;

·       removal of a designated vehicle list;

·       DAT test changes;

·       safeguarding training;

·       disabled persons training;

·       NR3;

·       application processing changes for new drivers;

·       timescale for renewal applications;

·       environmental consideration;

·       appeals and committees;

·       age and experience; and

·       driver badges and identification.

 

The Policy set out the Councils’ position in respect of the criteria of vehicles, drivers and operators in order to protect and promote public safety and provide a high standard of vehicles within the licensed fleet.  It would also ensure that licensed drivers had the knowledge and skills to undertake their role safely while providing high standards of service to those who live, work and travel within the districts.

 

During discussion, Members raised questions about:

 

·       the extension of the maximum age of vehicles

·       what would constitute ‘exceptional circumstances’ under the age of vehicles;

·       vehicle electrical diagnostics and certificate of compliance;

·       representations made on behalf of local taxi companies and whether these had been taken into account when updating the draft Policy;

·       the increase in categories incurring penalty points;

·       information available in the Policy regarding major and minor offences;

·       the use of CCTV in vehicles, including whether this should be made mandatory, together with the legal implications;

·       vehicles with tinted windows and the issue of visibility in safety considerations and also the issue of tinted windows for executive chauffeur hire vehicles; and

·       environmental considerations in respect of emissions and the connection with the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency, including target date information for the taxi trade on vehicle emissions policy.

 

The original recommendation was proposed by Cllr Collins and seconded by Cllr Woods:

 

That the Committee:

 

(i)             approve the draft shared Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Policy for consultation, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report; and

 

(ii)            authorise the Executive Director – Place to make any necessary minor alterations and typographical corrections to the Policy prior to publication for consultation.

 

During further debate, the following points were made:

 

·       the need to show leadership around climate change and the implications of reviewing this and what would be required for inclusion in the Policy before it was issued for public consultation;  

 

·       the need for the Council to be encouraging people to move towards zero emissions as soon as possible; and

 

·       the GDPR issues involved if CCTV became mandatory.

 

An amendment to the recommendation was proposed by Cllr Axam and seconded by Cllr Harward, in that a further clause be added:

 

“delegate authority to the Executive Director – Place, in consultation with the Chairman and the Portfolio Holder (with input from the Committee), to amend the wording of Section 7 of the draft Policy to reflect the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency prior to the commencement of the consultation.”

 

This was not agreed unanimously and therefore a recorded vote was held:

 

For: Axam, Collins, Delaney, Harward, Smith, Woods, Engstrom and Worlock (8);

Against: Farmer and Forster (2).

 

The amendment to the proposed recommendation was therefore approved.

 

The amended recommendation was not unanimously approved.  A recorded vote was therefore held:

 

For: Axam, Collins, Delaney, Harward, Smith, Woods, Engstrom and Worlock (8);

Against: Farmer and Forster (2).

 

The amended recommendation was therefore agreed:

 

Decision:

 

The Committee:

 

(i)             approved the draft Shared Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Policy for consultation, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report;

 

(ii)            authorised the Executive Director – Place to make any necessary minor alterations and typographical corrections to the Policy prior to publication for consultation; and

 

(iii)          delegated authority to the Executive Director – Place, in consultation with the Chairman and the Portfolio Holder (with input from the Committee), to amend the wording of Section 7 of the draft Policy to reflect the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency prior to publication for consultation.