Agenda item

To request that Cabinet considers and, if satisfied, adopts a comprehensive and cohesive taxi and private hire policy recommended to it by the Licensing and Registration Committee on 16 October 2023.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

a)  approves the final draft statement of Taxi / Private Hire Policy, as set out in Appendix A to item A.6 of the Report of the Portfolio Holder for Housing & Planning, for adoption and publication;

b)  authorises Officers to develop (over the coming months), and implement, a programme to bring the policy positions in the approved Statement into operation; and

c)    authorises Officers to make minor amendments to the Taxi / Private Hire Policy in order to take account of such matters as legislative changes and Government Guidance on taxi and private hire licensing.

Cabinet considered a report of the Housing & Planning Portfolio Holder (A.6), which requested that it considered and, if satisfied, adopted a comprehensive and cohesive taxi and private hire policy as recommended to it by the Licensing and Registration Committee following that Committee’s meeting held on 16 October 2023.

Members were informed that the proposed Taxi / Private Hire Policy had been submitted following a recent eight week period of consultation on the Statement and consideration of the findings from that consultation by the Licensing and Registration Committee.  Prior to that consultation, there had been an extensive programme of activity to develop the draft Policy and engagement with stakeholders.  As Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy was a matter for the Council’s Executive (Cabinet) the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing (who had licensing policy within his portfolio) had been engaged in the process leading to this point.

It was reported that a key impetus towards the development of a cohesive licensing policy in this area had been the statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards, issued by Government in July 2020.  By virtue of Section 177(4) of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, licensing authorities had to have had regard to the standards issued by Government, and requirements of the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Act 2022. In referencing licensing policies for taxi and private hire services, in the statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards, it read:

“The Department recommends all licensing authorities make publicly available a cohesive policy document that brings together all their procedures on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing.  This  should  include  but  not  be  limited  to  policies  on  convictions,  a  ‘fit  and proper’ person test, licence conditions and vehicle standards.

When formulating a taxi and private hire vehicle policy, the primary and overriding objective must be to protect the public.  The importance of ensuring that the licensing regime protects the vulnerable cannot be overestimated.  This was highlighted in the report by Dame Louise Casey CB of February 2015 on safeguarding failings.”

In order to support the Cabinet in good decision making in this area of licensing and, in this regard, recognise the legitimate rights of existing licensees to continue to hold their licences and the role of the Council in undertaking its regulatory role in relation to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire services:-

It was moved by Councillor Baker, seconded by Councillor Kotz and:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

a)  approves the final draft statement of Taxi / Private Hire Policy, as set out in Appendix A to item A.6 of the Report of the Portfolio Holder for Housing & Planning, for adoption and publication;

b)  authorises Officers to develop (over the coming months), and implement, a programme to bring the policy positions in the approved Statement into operation; and

c)    authorises Officers to make minor amendments to the Taxi / Private Hire Policy in order to take account of such matters as legislative changes and Government Guidance on taxi and private hire licensing.