To receive declarations of personal and prejudicial interest (if any) from Members/Officers in accordance with the provisions of the Members Code of Conduct adopted by Council from 1 September 2008.

None

To receive for approval the minutes of the 25/05/2022

RESOLVED:           That the Minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Committee of 25 May 2022 be approved as a true and accurate record.

The Senior Licensing Officer presented a report seeking to amend the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle licence conditions along with the dual Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver’s Licence conditions to promote public safety, and to seek approval to formally consult with the taxi trade.

The Senior Licensing Officer explained that although the Welsh Government was proposing to introduce national guidelines for taxis, it was believed that the proposed amendments they were looking to introduce would not have a detrimental impact on that process and in the interim, these amendments were necessary to strengthen current conditions. The first condition was in relation to the vehicle licenses. A condition was being proposed that in the case of Licensees/Proprietors who rent, lease, hire or loan out their Hackney or Private Hire Vehicle, the Licensee/Proprietor shall provide and keep a suitable register in which he/she shall enter the following particulars relating to the details of the driver to whom the vehicle has been rented, hired, leased or loaned.

          a) The name and address of the driver.

 b) The Badge number and expiry date of the Hackney  Carriage/Private Hire Driver’s Licence relating to the driver.

 c) The plate number and registration number of the vehicle rented, hired, leased or loaned.

d) The date(s)and time(s) the vehicle is rented, hired, leased or loaned by the driver.

She added that the records should be kept for a minimum of 12 months in chronological order and must be produced on request to an authorised officer of the Council or a Police Constable for inspection.

The Senior Licensing Officer explained that the second condition was also in relation to Drivers Licenses. The proposal was to add:

The licensee shall notify the Council in writing, within seven days if:

 a) he/she is convicted of any offence or receives a caution, warning, fixed penalty notice or any other kind of penalty notice.

 b) he/she is the subject of any pending criminal investigation

 c) If he/she is notified of the outcome of any pending criminal investigation

This would place an onus on licensees to inform the Licensing

Authority of any convictions or pending convictions/investigations during the course of their licence.

The Senior Licensing Officer explained that applicants and licensees were also required to provide a medical certificate upon the grant and renewal of a licence. A medical certificate was required to ensure that drivers were in good enough health to maintain public safety on the roads. Hackney carriage and private hire drivers were subject to higher medical standards than ordinary drivers. They were legally obliged to report any changes in their medical condition to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for an assessment as to whether this affected their legal ability to drive safely, but this proposal also placed an onus on them to report any changes to the Licensing Authority. There was a further proposal that the following condition also be added to the current Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver’s Licence conditions:

The licensee shall notify the Council in writing within  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider any other item(s) of business in respect of which notice has been given in accordance with Rule 4 of the Council Procedure Rules and which the person presiding at the meeting is of the opinion should by reason of special circumstances be transacted at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

None