Decision details

The committee received the report on Licensing Fees & Charges for 2023-2024 from the Senior Licensing Officer.   The recommendation for fees and charges were set out on pages one and two of appendix 1 to be approved by the committee, and the fees and charges on pages three and four were recommended to budget council later in the month for approval.   The proposed fees had been raised by approximately 6% to reflect the increased cost of delivering the services.

Councillor Nembhard asked the officers if there had been objections from drivers and if the proposed changes could lead to customers switching to Uber.  In response, the Senior Licensing Officer responded that feedback from the trade would be sought through consultation after the committee had approved the changes.  Regarding Uber, the licensing department did not licence Uber, and the nearest licensing authority that licensed Uber was TfL.  Any concerns with Uber could be raised with officers, who would then address this with TfL.

The Associate Director of Housing and Wellbeing responded to questions in regard to extending subsidised electric vehicle licences to include hybrid vehicles.  She advised that consideration would need to be given to how this would be funded. It had to operate on a cost-recovery basis and not be funded by other drivers.  Since 2015 a subsidised rate had been offered for wholly electric vehicles.  Through the Climate Change Strategic Partnership, there would be specific work related to taxis.  The Associate Director of Housing and Wellbeing added that this was something officers could explore over the next year and enable them to understand what other neighbouring authorities were doing. 

In response to a question about capping Hackney Carriage fares, the Senior Licensing Officer advised that these fares were set.  However private hire drivers were not restricted and could negotiate fares with customers. 

Councillor Khan enquired about the increased costs particularly during the current cost of living crisis. The Associate Director of Housing and Wellbeing clarified that the fees had remained the same since 2017.  This had been possible due to the improvements in processes that officers had made and the reduced time spent on the process of applications. This year in line with good practice a detailed analysis of time spent had been undertaken and this had led to some increases in fees to reflect actual costs. 

Following the officer’s response Councillor Khan was concerned about the increased cost and felt they should be frozen.  He suggested the economic impact reserve could be used to support those fees and charges.

Councillor Hofman enquired about statutory fees for example fees for bingo, club gaming permits and lotteries as there were no recommended changes.  The Senior Licensing Officer explained that the statutory fee had been set out in the legislation in the Gambling Act, and that the committee would not be able to alter the fee.  Also, the fees could not be raised in one area to subsidise another. 

Councillor Hofman asked if the council could either write to the Government to seek a change in legislation to remove the statutory fee regime or whether the council could refuse to consider any applications under these regimes. The Group Head of Democracy and Governance advised that the council could not refuse to administer any licensing applications because the council, as the licencing authority, had a legal duty to deal with applications.  If the committee wanted to, it could propose officers write to the Government and suggest the removal of the statutory limits.

Councillor Hofman then moved that the Group Head of Democracy and Governance write to the Government to request amending the legislation to remove any statutory fees.

On being put to the vote this was carried.

Councillor Khan again raised concerns regarding how the increased fees for Hackney Carriages had been calculated.  There transpired a discussion by the committee regarding freezing the increased fees for the Hackney Carriage licences at the 2017 figure.  He therefore moved that all Hackney Carriage and other vehicle and driver licensing fees be frozen except those fees that were reduced from the 2021/22 figure.

 On being put to the vote this motion was lost.

RESOLVED –

1.     That the fees and charges set out in pages 1 and 2 of appendix 1 for the financial year 2023/2024 be approved and that the fees and charges in pages 3 and 4 of appendix be recommended to Council for approval.

2.     That authority is given to consider any objections arising from the statutory notices pertaining to these fees and the final determination of the fees relating to those objections, if any, be delegated to the Director of Partnerships in consultation with the Chair of Licensing Committee.

3.     To delegate to the Associate Director of Housing & Wellbeing, in consultation with the Chair of Licensing Committee, the authority to increase or decrease charges in respect of the provision of:

• Compulsory door signage for hackney carriages

• Disclosure and Barring Service checks

• Licence badges and plates 

For the reasons outlined in sections 4.15 and 4.16.

4.     The Group Head of Democracy and Governance writes to the government to recommend the removal of statutory limits on fees related to the Licensing Act and Gambling Act.