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Venue: Committee Room 1 & 2 - Guildhall
Contact: Toni Birkin Committee Manager
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Apologies for absence Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillor McPherson and Councillor Gawthrope. |
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Declarations of Interest Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
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Minutes of the previous meeting PDF 57 KB Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 30th January 2012 were approved as a true and accurate record. |
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Public Questions Minutes: Mr David Wratten addressed the committee regarding agenda
items 5, 6 and 7. Agenda Item 5 - Outcome of Consultation on the Age Limit
& Emissions Policy Mr Wratten made the following points: ·
Supportive of the principle. ·
The numbers of Euro 3 vehicles were already very low
and would continue to fall. ·
Vehicle replacement was expensive and consideration to
extending the age limits for Euro 4 vehicles to 10 years was requested. Agenda Item 6 - Review of Hackney Carriage Table of Fares
and Update on mechanisms for implementing a fuel surcharge Mr Wratten made the following points: ·
Surcharge would provide a safety net in the event of
the prices exceeding 179.9p per litre. ·
The financial climate was recognised in the proposals
from the trade, and only an increase in the drop fee (20p) was requested. Agenda Item 7 – Hackney Carriage Fair Fare Scheme Mr Wratten made the following points: ·
The support of the committee was requested for the
proposed scheme. |
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Outcome of Consultation on the Age Limit & Emissions Policy PDF 64 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: The committee received a report from the Head of Refuse and
Environment regarding the outcome of consultation on the age limit and emission
policy. The committee made the following comments on the report. i. Clarification was requested on the
mechanism for obtaining and recording information regarding the Euro status of
a vehicle. The Principal Scientific Officer advised that the information was
either contained on the V5 certification, or could be calculated from
information on the V5. ii. Officers were also asked about the
adoption of Euro 5 standard, and the availability of vehicles particularly at
the higher end of the age range. The Principal Scientific Officer advised that
a number of manufacturers had adopted Euro 5 standard early, so there was a
reasonable number of vehicles in the market, which met the standard. iii. Clarification was requested on the
potential application of option 2, and whether it only applied to new licence
applications. It was confirmed that it would only apply to existing licence
holders, if they wished to licence a new vehicle. iv. It was questioned whether the four year
age limit was superfluous if the vehicles met Euro 5 standard. v. Clarification was requested on the
conflicting statements regarding the effectiveness of more regular testing in
managing emissions. The Principal Scientific Officer explained that the MOT
test had a different focus to the Euro standard testing, and that it was not
economically viable to re-test vehicles at Euro standard due to the cost. It
was noted that regular MOT testing would reduce the likelihood of vehicles
running with significant engine problems. vi. The committee were reminded that the age
limit policy was based on considerations wider than just emissions, and was
also concerned with safety and the general mechanical construction. vii. Concern was expressed about the
potential for companies to manipulate the Euro Standard results. viii. Officers were asked for an assessment
of the implications of extending the life span of Euro 4 vehicles to 10 years.
The Principal Scientific Officers explained that all Euro 3 vehicles would have
left the fleet by early 2013, but that the effect of the delay would be to
delay air quality improvements by up to 2 years. It was explained that this
could compromise the ability of the city to meet its air quality targets. ix. Officers were asked whether any
evidence was available on the extent to which emissions performance declines
with time. The committee were advised that it was not disputed that emissions
performance would decline with time, but that evidence particularly for diesel
vehicles was limited. It was noted that more evidence was available for petrol
vehicles, and that about 10% of the fleet were petrol vehicles. x. Clarification was requested on the
relative difference between the Euro standards. An explanation was also
requested on the types of engineering techniques used to reduce emissions. The
Principal Scientific Officer explained that each of the Euro standards
represented a step change in performance. The committee were advised of some of
the more common engineering solutions to reduce emissions in diesel vehicles,
such as exhaust gas re-circulation or selective catalytic reduction. Resolved (Unanimously) to To adopt Option 2 as amended which will address air quality
by accelerating the improvement of new vehicles . The policy will therefore be as and from 01 September 2012: i. A new vehicle licence will not be
granted in respect of a vehicle unless it is less than 4 years old AND it meets
the Euro 5 standard or higher. ii. A vehicle licence will not be renewed
unless the vehicle is less than 9 years old and meets Euro 4 standard or
higher. This will only affect those applying for a new vehicle
license and those with a Euro 3 standard vehicle after 1 September 2012. |
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Minutes: The committee received a report from the Head of Refuse and
Environment regarding the review of the Hackney Carriage Table of Fares and
Update on mechanisms for implementing a fuel surcharge. The committee made the following comments on the report. i. Noted that Cambridge prices were often
higher than London prices, and questioned whether this was factored into the
calculations. The Licensing Manager explained that average prices were
calculated using a national average. It was explained that regional averages
were available but that there is a 6-week delay in the publication of the
figures. ii. Noted there was a perception amongst
tourists that taxi fares were too high already. iii. Clarification was requested on the
process if the fuel price threshold was exceeded and then fell below the
threshold. It was explained that once the threshold was triggered, the enhanced
charges remained in place until the table of fares was again reviewed. Members
discussed the appropriateness of this arrangement, however it was noted that
the main alternative would be very difficult to manage. Resolved (Unanimously) to i. Annual Revision of the “Hiring Charges” section of the
Table of Fares Vary the existing Table of Fares with effect from 15 August
2012 (subject to the statutory consultation process) by increasing the flag
fall by 20p, i.e. the Table of Fares shown in Appendix D of the committee
report. ii. Mechanism for implementing a fuel surcharge Approve the mechanism set out in paragraphs 3.7 & 3.8 of
the report and decide to implement a 40 p fuel surcharge as an “Extra Charge”
in the Table of Fares (subject to statutory consultation) to be implemented
only if national retail diesel prices (as measured by the Arval index) reach
the threshold level of 179.9 p/litre. |
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Hackney Carriage Fair Fare Scheme PDF 646 KB Minutes: The committee received a report from the Head of Refuse and
Environment regarding the review of the Hackney Carriage Fair Fare Scheme. It
was explained that following publication of the report it had been established
that it was not a regulatory decision, therefore the final decision would rest
with the Executive Councillor for Environmental and Waste Services. The committee supported the idea in principle, however it
was agreed that supporting publicity would probably be necessary to ensure that
the public understand the scheme. It was agreed that the scheme had the
potential to deliver positive benefits. Resolved (Unanimously) to recommend to the Executive
Councillor for Environmental and Waste Services, they support the CCLT Ltd’s
‘Cambridge Fair Fare Scheme’ and allow CCLT Ltd to use the Cambridge City
Council Crest on the sticker that will be placed in the Hackney Carriages of
drivers who have signed up to the scheme. |
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Review of Statement of Licensing Policy under the Licensing Act 2003 PDF 36 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The committee received a report from the Head of Refuse and
Environment regarding the review of the Statement of Licensing Policy under the
Licensing Act 2003. Members requested greater clarification on the mechanism for
the Licensing Authority to make representations on applications. Officers
assured members that a clear separation of responsibilities would exist. Some
members also questioned the appropriateness of the Licensing Authority making
representations, however it was agreed that members of the public might be
looking for the Licensing Authority to lead on or add weight to a public
campaign. The committee were advised that the enhanced rights for the Licensing
Authority would not affect or compromise the ability of residents or individual
councillors to initiate reviews. The following specific comments were made on the text Page 71 – reference to “necessary, proportionate and
reasonable” should be deleted and replaced with “appropriate” in paragraph 9.6. Page 72 – The word “other” should be inserted prior to each
reference to responsible authorities in paragraph 10.3 Page 73 – The word “officials” should be replaced with
“officers” in paragraph 12.3. Page 75/76 – Email addresses should be generic and not
linked to a specific person. Resolved (Unanimously) to Incorporate those changes to the Statement of
Licensing Policy identified in Appendix A as amended and agree to commence the
statutory consultation process. |
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Review of statement of Gambling Principles PDF 36 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The committee received a report from the Head of Refuse and
Environment regarding the review of statement of Gambling Principles. The lack of public nuisance as an objective in the policy
was noted. Resolved (Unanimously) to Commence the statutory consultation process on the existing Statement of Principles (Appendix A of the committee report) |
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Delegation of functions under the Licensing Act 2003 PDF 60 KB Minutes: The committee received a report from the Head of Refuse and
Environment regarding the delegation of functions under the Licensing Act 2003. Clarification was provided on the wording relating to the
decision to make a representation when the Licensing Authority is and is not
the relevant Licensing Authority (page 142 of the committee agenda). The Licensing Manager advised in response to a question that
the reference to “the alternative licence condition” was correct, Resolved (Unanimously) to Delegate licensing functions under the Licensing Act
2003 to the Licensing Sub-Committees and the Head of Refuse and Environment as
set out in paragraph 3.6 of the committee report. |