Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Saffery.

There were no disclosures of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2014 to be submitted and signed.

Copies of the minutes of this meeting are usually available seven working days following the meeting.

(All minutes are available on the Council’s website.)

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2014 were submitted and signed.

Report of the Head of Community and Customer Services

The Committee received a report of the Head of Community and Customer Services outlining two proposals for changes to the application criteria for licensed drivers.

The Licensing Manager introduced the report.  The first proposal was to extend the period during which the Council would accept a certificate from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) from applicants.  The idea was to extend the time periods to the time period that the certificate remained valid, currently 12 months.  The second proposal was to exempt relevant applicants from having to pass the wheelchair-handling assessment provided they had completed a disability awareness course approved by the Council.  This requirement would apply to both private hire drivers and hackney carriage drivers.

Councillor Khan commented that it was important that all drivers undertook such training.  He asked how frequently the training was offered by the external providers.

The Licensing Manager responded that the courses tended to last one day.  One approved provider offered them monthly and the other offered them every other month.  The Council would also accept evidence from elsewhere.  The application process also tended to last a couple of months so attending a course in this timescale was achievable.

In response to a further question from Councillor Khan, the Licensing Manager explained that all hackney carriage drivers had been required to undertake the course in the past.  However, when a limit on the number of licenses available was imposed the level of demand for the courses fell.  There had only been approximately three licences granted since the limit was introduced.  The Council could cover the costs for these drivers.  The private hire drivers were required to undertake a refresher course every six years which included disability awareness training. 

Councillor Mauthoor asked whether drivers were trained in other areas such as First Aid as she was concerned about child passengers suffering from sickness or illness during the journeys.  She noted that some companies operated contracts for schools.  The Licensing Manager advised that incidents of this type were very rare.  There was no formal training in place but there was a BTEC and an NVQ available which a large number of drivers had undertaken.  The Environmental Health and Licensing Section Head responded that it was likely that the County Council required taxi companies which operated school contracts to have such training.  She underlined that this was not an area that WBC was involved in and the Council did not employ the taxi drivers.

ACTION - the Licensing Manager to confirm the requirements prescribed by HCC and to inform the Committee.

RESOLVED –

1. that applicants for a hackney carriage driver’s or private hire vehicle driver’s licence

1.               be required to submit with the application a valid certificate to show they have passed an appropriate assessment by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)

2.               be exempt from having to pass the DVSA wheelchair-handling assessment if they have attended a disability awareness course approved by the Council.

2. that from 1 February 2015 applicants for a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Report of the Head of Community and Customer Services

The Committee received a report of the Head of Community and Customer Services seeking the Committee's approval to charge fees for the 2015/16 financial year for some of the different licensing regimes administered by the Council.

The Licensing Manager introduced the report.  He highlighted that there were generally few changes to the fees charged.  The change to the cost of magnetic door signs reflected the increase in cost of purchasing the signs for the Council.  The report also asked the Committee to delegate authority to alter the cost of certain services and equipment in line with the suppliers' charges.

A further proposal was to give a 50% discount in the cost of a licence to drivers of electric cars.  The Committee was informed that this would only apply to cars which were fully electric rather than hybrids.

The Committee was informed that an earlier draft of the fees and charges scheme had been included on the agenda in error.  Members were updated on the changes to note and the correct version of the scheme would be appended to these minutes.  Officers apologised for this oversight.

ACTION - The Committee and Scrutiny Support Officer to circulate the updated scheme of fees and charges.

Councillor I Brown asked whether officers had any indication of what the outcome to the case of Hemming and Others v Westminster City Council might be and the figures which could potentially be involved.  The Licensing Manager said there was no information available about the outcome of the case and he gave details of the issue involved.  He did not anticipate that it would lead to a decrease in the level of fees currently set by the Council but certain fees could potentially be increased.

Councillor S Williams referred to the proposal relating to electric cars and asked about potential locations and costs of charging points.  He added that he was not happy with the proposed increase to the cost of magnetic door signs.  The Licensing Manager responded that the Committee would be kept informed of the take-up of the discount for electric cars.  The intention was to install charging points across the Borough for all electric vehicles, not just taxis.  It was not possible to provide details of costs as there were many variables including the location and the cost of the type of charging unit that was installed.  The Environmental Health and Licensing Section Head added that the Council had locations in mind for charging points and was putting in bids for funding to government offices and the EU as part of the cleaner air strategy.

Regarding door signs, the Licensing Manager noted that the drivers also had the option of purchasing the cheaper permanent signs.  The proposal would allow the Council to decrease the cost should a cheaper supplier be found. 

Following a question from Councillor Hofman, it was confirmed that drivers would pay the cost of the electricity.

Councillor Scudder referred to recommendation 2.2 which delegated authority to vary the charges.  He suggested that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.