Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Committee Room 5 - Civic Suite. View directions

Contact: Tim Row - Principal Committee Officer 

Items
No. Item

6.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Nadeem (no substitute).

7.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

The following interests were declared at the meeting:

 

(a)   Councillor J Harland, Minute 9 (Proposal to consult on Taxi Licensing Policy) – long term acquaintance of Mr Callaghan, who was a taxi driver in the City and also in attendance at the meeting.

 

(b)   Councillor S Wakefield, Minute 9 (Proposal to consult on Taxi Licensing Policy) – was previously a private hire taxi driver more than 10 years ago.

8.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Wednesday 21st August 2024 pdf icon PDF 58 KB

Minutes:

Resolved:-

 

That the Minutes of the Meeting held on Wednesday, 21st August 2024 be confirmed as a correct record and signed.

9.

Proposal to Consult on Taxi Licensing Policy pdf icon PDF 208 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director for Environment & Place, which presented the draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicle licensing policy. The report sought approval of the draft policy and to was seeking permission to commence a six-week consultation on the draft policy to gather feedback from stakeholders.

 

The Regulatory Services Manager briefly introduced the report and explained that a number of productive meetings had been held with taxi trade representatives in order to gain feedback.

 

It was highlighted that the Council had a statutory responsibility for licensing Hackney Carriage and private hire services and at present, licensing conditions were dispersed across multiple documents, potentially causing inconsistencies in enforcement and a lack of clarity for licence holders. It was hoped that the proposed unified policy would address these issues and set out clear professional standards for driver conduct, vehicle standards and operator responsibilities.

 

The Committee asked a number of questions regarding the draft policy, which were responded to by the Regulatory Services Manager. Questions and requests of points to clarify in the next draft of the policy document included:

 

·       Environmental considerations – the Euro 6 emissions standard was set as a minimum; however, it was expected that Euro 7 standard would be introduced by Government in July 2025.

·       The use of Electric Vehicle’s for taxi and private hire vehicles and whether the policy could be strengthened to encourage EV use. It was highlighted that there were difficulties around EV infrastructure and widespread EV use was not possible until the infrastructure could support this – which would also require significant investment by operators.

·       The length of the consultation (6 weeks) and governance process for the policy thereafter. It was confirmed that after the consultation was complete the final policy document would be submitted to the Licensing Committee for approval before being submitted to Full Council for adoption.

·       Medical tests for drivers and the responsibility for drivers to undergo eye tests and report any changes as necessary – it was clarified that taxi drivers were subject to the same rules issued by the DVLA as other drivers in terms of epilepsy and glaucoma. Group 2 Medical Standards also applied.  Councillors queried whether an additional requirement for eye tests every 2 years could be introduced and neglect to undertake these tests could be subjected to penalty points.

·       Domestic Violence and DBS checks – it was confirmed that Domestic Violence was classified as violence and drivers had a duty to disclose through the DBS process.

·       To clarify the differences between Private Hire and Hackney Carriage rules within the report.

·       Tiredness and fatigue – whether a ‘maximum’ limit of hours of operation could be introduced, or wording included to encourage drivers to prepare for adequate rest breaks. Officers noted that this could be difficult from a legal or enforcement perspective.

·       If ‘personal hygiene’ could be introduced under dress code / personal conduct to ensure good personal hygiene standards were met.

·       A link to by-laws so that drivers could be aware of these  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

 

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