The committee received the report of the Senior Licensing Officer seeking the committee’s approval to charge fees for the 2021/2022 financial year for some of the different licensing regimes administered by the council.  The Senior Licensing Officer introduced the report and outlined the fee charging process to members. 

He read the recommendations in paragraphs 3.0 to 3.2 in the report to the committee and, in relation to the recommendation in paragraph 3.2, explained that the discretion was being sought as the matter related to commodities from third parties.

          The Senior Licensing Officer explained that licensing fees were set on a cost recovery basis and that the licensing service was a self-funding function.  He advised that where fees were calculated on a cost recovery basis, the proposed fees had been raised by up to 3%. 

However, there was one exception to this approach with regard to taxi and private hire driver and vehicle licenses and private hire operator licenses where digitalisation of council taxi services had led to operational efficiencies and the ability to offset the increased costs.

RESOLVED –

1.      that the fees and charges set out at appendix 1 pages 1 and 2 for the financial year 2021/2022 be approved and that the fees and charges in appendix 1 page 3 and 4 be recommended to Council for approval.

2.      to delegate to the Head of Community Protection, in consultation with the Chair of Licensing, the authority to increase or decrease charges in respect of the provision of:

·        compulsory door signage for hackney carriages

·        Disclosure and Barring Service and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency checks

·        licence badges and plates

                            for the reasons outlined in sections 4.9 and 4.10.