Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Maddy Redpath and Will Salmon.

In accordance with the local Code of Conduct, a councillor is required to disclose at the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) that they may have in respect of any matter for consideration on this agenda.  Any councillor with a DPI must notparticipate in any discussion or vote regarding that matter and they must also withdraw from the meeting immediately before consideration of the matter.

If that DPI has not been registered, the councillor must notify the Monitoring Officer of the details of the DPI within 28 days of the date of the meeting.

Councillors are further invited to disclose any non-pecuniary interest which may be relevant to any matter on this agenda, in the interests of transparency, and to confirm that it will not affect their objectivity in relation to that matter.

There were no disclosures of interest declared.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Committee held on 25 November 2020.

The minutes of the Licensing Committee held on 25 November 2020 were approved and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman of the Committee.

The Chairman had no announcements.

The Committee is asked to recommend that Full Council approve the updated Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy at Appendix A following consideration of the consultation responses received.

The Licensing Team Leader reported that the Committee had approved a draft Taxi and Private Hire Policy for a three-month public consultation at its meeting in September 2020.  The licensing department encouraged all interested parties, including members of the trade to make comments via an online survey, the results of which were presented in the report.  A high number of respondents agreed with the recommendations and a high proportion of respondents considered that there were elements of the Policy which were unfair or unreasonable.  The final version of the policy was presented for the Committee’s discussion and approval.

Prior to consideration of the policy, the following persons addressed the Committee in accordance with Public Speaking Procedure Rules 3(b).  (The Committee noted that the Chairman had permitted Mr Soper a total of five minutes to speak to accommodate his dyslexia.  Mr Rostron had been permitted three minutes to speak in total as per the speaking procedure rules):

·         Mr Paul Soper (to object) and;

·         Mr Mark Rostron (to object)

The Committee noted concerns raised by Mr Soper that the Taxi and Private Hire Policy should not change owing to the associated requirement and costs of installing CCTV into taxis.  Given the Licensing Authority had saved money by not having to inspect pubs, bars and nightclubs during lockdown, the money saved from this, it was felt, should have been passed onto the taxi trade. Funding had been made available to small businesses and distributed to local councils, but the Licensing department only notified taxi drivers of this grant with a two-week deadline in which to apply.  The Council’s phones were not working in this time and it was difficult to obtain the appropriate help and guidance.  Wages for taxi drivers had been significantly reduced, owing to the lack of taxi fares during the Covid-19 pandemic and had consequently placed considerable strain upon their family’s finances.  In addition, Uber was taking money away from the licenced Guildford taxi trade and action should be taken in that regard by the Licensing Authority.

In response to the concerns raised by Mr Soper, the Licensing Team Leader agreed that the taxi and private hire trade was important to Guildford.  The pandemic had caused difficult circumstances for many businesses, including the Local Authority itself.  The Council had signposted businesses, wherever possible, to the types of assistance available, including the government’s self-employment grant, and had provided considerable advice and answered a large number of queries from businesses looking for assistance.  However, the allocation and distribution of grant funding was not something which the Licensing Authority itself had any input of control over. 

In terms of the costs of installing a CCTV unit into a taxi, it was estimated to cost approx. £600 - £700, which was equivalent to replacing a full set of tyres on a vehicle.  It was envisaged that a CCTV system would last longer than the cost of a full set of tyres.  The introduction of CCTV into taxi’s was intended to be of benefit to  ...  view the full minutes text for item L5

The Licensing Committee is asked to note the current circumstances affecting the calculation of fees and charges, and agree that the fees and charges for 2021-22 remain at the current level and notes that fees and charges are planned to be reviewed again for 2022-23.

The Licensing Team Leader reported that in line with the Executive decision made in November 2020, to freeze all fees and charges, it was therefore recommended that the Taxi and Private Hire Fees and Charges for 2021-22 remained at the current level but were planned to be reviewed again for 2022-23. 

Prior to consideration of the Taxi and Private Hire Fees and Charges 2021-22, the following person addressed the Committee in accordance with Public Speaking Procedure Rules 3(b).  (The Committee noted that the Chairman had permitted Mr Soper a total of five minutes to speak to accommodate his dyslexia):

·         Mr Paul Soper (to object)

The Committee noted concerns raised by Mr Soper that the Council, owing to not spending monies on officer duties inspecting pubs, bars and clubs, due to the lockdown, had saved money this year and that those monies should be passed onto the taxi trade so to reduce hire fees and charges this year, in order to assist the taxi drivers in increasing their customer base.  Birmingham City Council had been cited as an example where taxi drivers were given £1500.  Freezing charges and fees was not perceived as helpful to the taxi trade and Guildford Borough Council was requested to help more.

The Committee, having considered the report;

RESOLVED to approve the freezing of the Taxi and Private Hire Fees and Charges for 2021-22, so that they remained at the current level and would review the fees and charges planned for 2022-23. 

The Committee noted its work programme.