There was a change of membership for this meeting: Councillor Aron replaced Councillor Crout.

There were no disclosures of interest.

To approve for signature the minutes of the meeting held on 16 July 2012.

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 July 2012 were submitted and signed.

This report asks the Committee to endorse the response to the Law Commission’s consultation paper.

The Committee received a report of the Head of Environmental Services asking the Committee to review the draft response to the Law Commission’s initial proposals to reform taxis.

The Licensing Manager introduced the report and explained the background. The Chair added that it was a complex area and responses were difficult to frame as a decision in one area, such as whether there should be a one-tier system or a two-tier system, could affect the response to another proposal. She noted that if a one-tier system was introduced it could put private hire operators out of business.

Councillor Dhindsa highlighted that if there was a one-tier system it would cause the ranks to be overcrowded. He also noted the difference between the knowledge test requirements for Hackney Carriage and private hire drivers.

The Licensing Manager responded that he did not disagree about over-ranking and noted that under the proposals there were different requirements for drivers. The issue of rank space was not addressed in the consultation document.

Councillor Brandon referred to the suggestion in response to provisional proposal 1 that individuals could apply to establish a taxi rank. He added that he would like there to be consultation with residents and ward councillors for any such proposals. The Licensing Manager said that this could be added to the response.

In response to a question about the timescale of the review, the Licensing Manager explained that the consultation would close on 10 September. In mid-2013 the Law Commission would publish the draft bill and it would be for the government to respond and potentially take the bill through Parliament. He anticipated that any changes would not come into effect until 2015-16.

Councillor D Scudder referred to the proposed requirement for all work to be logged by the driver and noted that this would be an extra layer of bureaucracy for sole traders. Other Members concurred with this point. The Licensing Manager noted this point and said the response would be amended to reflect this concern.

In response to a request for clarification about question 4, the Licensing Manager explained that a number of vehicles such as horse-drawn hackney carriages and rickshaws did not require a driving licence. However, there were still public safety issues with these forms of transport.

The Licensing Manager advised that there was an error in the response to provisional proposal 7, the second line should read ‘the former will licence…’.

In response to a question from Councillor Aron, the Licensing Manager advised that the regulations around limousines were quite complex and the licensing depended on the number of seats. The response to the consultation was that the number of seats should not make a difference and the Licensing Authority should licence all such vehicles.

Councillor Brandon referred to provisional proposal 43; he asked how a competitive market would work when maximum fares were in place. The Licensing Manager said that this was a good question. He noted that fares would just be the maximum amount that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

This report asks the Committee to consider a small number of policy changes that have been identified following a business process redesign exercise.

The Committee received a report of the Head of Environmental Services outlining three policy changes that had been identified following a business process redesign exercise.

The Licensing Manager introduced the report and explained the context of the business process review. He explained that the review was to save £38K from the budget and involved redesigning the mechanisms by which applicants engage with the team.  There were three areas that needed the Committee’s agreement and each one would be dealt with in turn.

Recommendation 1:That from 1 October 2012 applicants for hackney carriage or private hire vehicle licences shall be required to produce a valid MOT certificate for the vehicle issued within the previous thirty days, and that Certificates of Compliance are no longer accepted.

The Licensing Manager explained the current practice. He advised that moving to a system of MOTs followed by a vehicle check by officers would be slightly cheaper and more convenient for drivers and there would be a cost saving for the Council.

Following a question from Councillor Dhindsa, the Licensing Manager confirmed that certificates of compliance were required for all drivers, not just new applicants. The new process which split the vehicle check into two parts would be much more efficient and the issue of the paper licence would be reduced to approximately two days rather than 30 days. The liaison with the garages and waiting for documents was time-consuming. A further advantage of the proposal was that meeting the drivers to check their vehicles gave officers a chance to build a good relationship with them.

Councillor Dhindsa felt that it would be preferable if all the vehicle checks were done at a garage. The Licensing Manager advised that drivers would not incur any extra costs and the inspection by officers would be covered in their fees. He added that it would also improve consistency in vehicle standards.

The Licensing Manager highlighted that, as at present, drivers would need to go to one of three garages. This would be reviewed after April 2013 when current arrangements finished. After that, it may be possible for drivers to have an MOT at a garage of their choice.

Following a question from Councillor Brandon, the Licensing Manager confirmed that the drivers pay the garages directly for their certificates of compliance.

Councillor Meerabux advised that he was persuaded by the proposal especially if the drivers were happy with the change. The Licensing Manager advised that a stakeholder consultation meeting had taken place and representatives from private hire operators and the Hackney Carriage Driver Association had attended and were supportive of the changes.

In response to a question from Councillor Mills, the Licensing Manager replied that the checks would be undertaken by the Assistant Licensing Officers and would take place at Wiggenhall Depot. If there were any issues, a Licensing Officer would inspect the vehicle.

Councillor D Scudder felt that this was a good proposal and would benefit both the Council and the drivers.

Councillor Derbyshire said that he agreed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.