Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence received.

To be apprised of any changes to the membership of the Committee in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4, the Committee noted the termination of membership of Councillor Patel and the appointment of Councillor D Owen for this meeting only, thereby giving effect to the wishes of the political groups.

Note:  No other business is permitted unless, by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified at the meeting, the Chairman is of the opinion that the item(s) should be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items of business.

Party Whips are not to be used by this Committee in respect of functions concerning the determination of new Licence Applications, Revocations and Appeals.  When considering any other matter which relates to a decision of the Cabinet or the performance of any Member of the Cabinet, in accordance with Regulatory Committee Procedure Rule 9, Members must declare the existence of any Party Whip and the nature of it, before the commencement of the Committee’s deliberations on the matter.

There were no declarations of Party Whip.

If a Member requires advice on Declarations of Interest, he/she is advised to contact the Legal and Democratic Services Manager in advance of the meeting.  (For the assistance of members a checklist for use in considering their position on any particular item is included at the end of the agenda sheet).

There were no declarations of interest.

There are no minutes to receive.

There were no minutes to receive.

To receive as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 8 June 2022.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 June 2022, be received as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To consider the report of the Corporate Director of Place and Community

Consideration was given to the report of the Corporate Director of Place and Community contained on pages 13-218 of the Book of Reports which sought approval of the draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, following public consultation and revised Department for Transport Guidance.

The Head of Planning & Regulatory Services outlined the report and the purpose of the proposed amendments to the Members of the Committee.

Comments and questions were raised as follows:

·         Costs involved in installing CCTV equipment into Licensed Taxis.

·         GDPR Implications

·         Controlling the Data to comply with GDPR and the costs involved.

·         Online training to continue for Licensed Drivers regarding safeguarding

RESOLVED:

A.   That having regard to the matters contained in the report and the responses to the public consultation, the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2022, attached at Appendix 2 to the report, be approved for use with effect from 1 October 2022.

B.   The Policy to be amended to reflect that the Committee reviewed and consulted on the CCTV proposal and the same will be kept under review.

It is recommended that members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business in accordance with section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act (paragraph 2 Identity of an individual and Paragraph 7 Criminal Matters, and as, in all the circumstances of the case, not in the public interest in disclosing the information.

RESOLVED    That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 2 (Identity of an individual) and Paragraph 7 (Criminal Matters) part 1 of Schedule 12A outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To consider the report of the Director of Place & Community

Members were asked to consider an application for a Private Hire Diver Licence, reference number WK/000273770, having regard to offences recorded against the Driver.

It was noted that the Applicant's DBS certificate was not available in time for the meeting.

RESOLVED: That the Application for a Private Hire Driver Licence, reference number WK/000273770 be deferred for 1 meeting.

To consider the report of the Director of Place & Community

Members were asked to consider an application for a Private Hire Diver Licence, reference number WK/000273128, having regard to offences recorded against the Driver.

RESOLVED: That the Application for a Private Hire Driver Licence, reference number WK/000273128 be REFUSED.

(Note: The Officers from Place & Community Services left the meeting whilst Members considered their decision)