Agenda and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence for the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Lock with Councillor Whittaker present in substitution.

Confirmation of the Minutes of the meeting held on the 26^th February 2025.

It was proposed by Councillor Bright, seconded by Councillor Hackett and –

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 26^th February 2025 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

(Vote: For – 6, Against – 0, Abstentions - 4)    

Members with interests to declare should refer to the agenda item and describe the nature of their interest when the item is being considered.

Members were reminded that declarations of interest should be made as and when the specific agenda item to which they related was under discussion.

There were no Part II items.

There were no urgent matters.

To be presented by the Lead Licensing Officer.

The Lead Licensing Officer presented the report, the purpose of which was to inform the Committee of the results of a recent fare consultation with Hackney Carriage proprietors and to consider whether to increase the existing fare tariff.

Members asked for the Officer to clarify the current fares compared to what is proposed.

Members highlighted the importance of considering the viewpoints of the taxi drivers when considering whether to increase the existing tariff.

The Committee spoke about the variety of the demographic who use the taxi trade and expressed the need to prioritise affordability.

The Chair permitted a taxi driver, A Wadey attending as a member of the public to contribute to the discussion. The driver outlined the challenges faced by those in the trade and emphasised the significance of the proposed taxi increase.

The issues included:

-       Inflation

-       Damage to vehicles due to condition of the roads.

-       Lack of taxi ranks

-       Subsidised transport

Members clarified that taxi drivers have discretion to lower the rate.

It was proposed by Councillor Bright and seconded by Councillor Hackett that option B of the recommendation is approved and to amend the night time rate to commence at 10pm instead of 11pm.

Councillor Hawkins proposed that option A of the recommendation is approved. This was seconded by Councillor Dart.

Resolved:

That the level of increase is determined as option B.

-       Flag fare (first ¾ mile) increase to £4.50

£3.30 per mile thereafter

-       Amend the night time rate to commence at 10pm instead of 11pm.

And-

The proposed fares be advertised for a period of not less than 14 days as required by s. 65(2) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976; and, provided there are no objections, the proposed fares be introduced on 1^st November 2025.

 (Vote: For – 6, Against – 4, Abstentions – 0)

As the motion was carried, no vote was taken on the alternative proposal.

To be presented by the Lead Licensing Officer.

The Lead licensing Officer presented the report the purpose of which was to present to the Committee the response to the informal trade consultation as part of the review of the Council’s Licensing Policy for Taxis and Private Hire Licences.

He stated that the response rate was low but those who participated and proprietors who attended the Taxi Representative meeting highlighted that the proposed requirement for electric low emission vehicles by 2030 is challenging. The response emphasised their concerns regarding the cost of acquiring a new vehicle, the lack of infrastructure, unknown costs of 2^nd hand low emission vehicles, and battery range in the rural area.

The Lead Licensing Officer explained that the purpose of the meeting was to give the Committee an opportunity to review the current policy and suggest any changes to the requirements, which would then be subject to further consultation.

He clarified that while the current policy sets the emissions threshold for ultra-low emission vehicles at 50g/km, the current guidance is 75g/km and stated that this discrepancy can be addressed through a policy amendment.

The Lead Licensing Officer updated the Committee on the proposed amendments relating to accessibility, noting that guidance identifies that this should include a wider range of disabilities. He further explained that, according to Central Government guidance, fire extinguishers and first aid kits should be removed from taxi vehicles unless the driver has received appropriate training.

Following a detailed discussion on the reliability and efficiency of electric and low-emission vehicles, the Committee agreed that the Lead Licensing Officer should gather relevant evidence and share it with the Committee to support a well-informed decision.

The Lead Licensing Officer explained that, subject to the Committee’s agreement, the next step would be to publish the policy for public consultation. The findings and supporting evidence would then be brought back to the Committee at a later date for a final decision.

Councillor Dart proposed to approve the draft policy. This was seconded by Councillor James.

Resolved:

That members approve the draft policy and commencement of the formal consultation process.

(Vote: For – Unanimous)

The Lead Licensing Officer explained that the consultation period for the Taxi Policy review will last eight weeks. It was therefore agreed that the item will return to the Licensing Committee meeting scheduled for 10 December 2025.

It was agreed that the meeting scheduled for 22 October 2025 will remain in the calendar, unless a decision is made to cancel it closer to the time.

The Chairman to move:-

That the public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting because of the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

There are no Part II items.

There were no Part II items.