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.

There were no changes to the Membership of the Committee.

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 Tuesday, 13 February 2024.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday, 13 February 2024, be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To consider the report of the Corporate Director of Place & Community.

Consideration was given to the report of the Corporate Director of Place & Community as contained on pages 253-438 of the Book of Reports, which sought approval on the amendments to the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2022 v2.

In debating this matter, Members asked that, in consultation with the Chairman, Officers write a letter to the relevant NHS partner organisation to express their concern  about the difficulties faced by both new applicants and licensed drivers in scheduling Group 2 Medical examinations at surgeries across West Lancashire and the surrounding areas. The Committee would welcome any commitment to improve the availability of such medical examination appointments, as they felt the lack of such availability could have a negative effect on the safety of the public, as well as impacting on the livelihoods of applicants.

RESOLVED:          A.         That proposed changes to the Hackney Carriage                                  and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2022 v2. are                                                approved.

                                B.                 That, in consultation with the Chairman, a                                           letter be sent to the relevant NHS partner                                                  organisation to express the Committee's                                                    concern, resulting in the amendment                                                         detailed in point 3.3 of the report, in relation                                              to 3.2 a) Medical Examinations.