Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors O’Reilly, Stuart and McPherson. Councillor Brown was present as an alternate.

No interests were declared.

To approve the minutes of the meetings held on 14 April 2013 and 23 May 2013.

The minutes of the meeting of the 14^th April 2013 and 23^rd May 2013 were approved as correct records.

There were no public questions.

The Committee received a report from the Licensing and Enforcement Manager regarding Conditions for Private Hire Vehicles Exempted from Displaying Plates. The Officer confirmed that the current policy allows proprietors of prestige type vehicles to seek permission to waive the requirement to display plates, door stickers and driver badges. The purpose of the report was to agree a set of conditions to be applied when waivers were sought.

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report.

       i.          Condition 4 should be amended to clarify that the Private Hire Identification disc must be visible outside the vehicle at all times.

     ii.          Condition 8 should be amended to remove any assumption that drivers would be male. Alternative wording requiring drivers to wear business attire was suggested.

   iii.          Condition 2 was agreed to be a policy statement and not a condition.

   iv.          Concerns were raised about what the definition of an executive vehicle was.

    v.          Some concern was expressed about the requirement that all transactions be cashless as this might penalise smaller businesses. The Committee stated that commercial decisions on payment methods were not a matter for policy conditions.

In summing up the Licensing and Enforcement Manager confirmed that the policy would require a degree of flexibility and that decisions would be based on officer experience, with occasional consultation with Chair and Spokes when required.

Resolved (Unanimously)

To adopt a set of conditions as agreed by the Chair and Spokes, and incorporating the changes discussed above. The conditions would be applied where a request to waive the requirement to display licence plates, door stickers and driver badges had been made and an application approved.

The conditions detailed below were agreed by the Chair and Spokes after the meeting and are included for information.

Conditions to be applied to “plate exempt” vehicles

1.    Vehicles granted a plate exemption waiver shall be used only for Prestige type hirings and shall not be used for standard private hirings.

2.    The Operator receiving a booking for a plate exempted vehicle shall provide the hirer with details of the vehicle registration number and the name of the driver, prior to the hiring commencing.

3.     The private hire identification disc issued by the Council shall be displayed within the front nearside of the windscreen at all times and legible from outside the vehicle.

4.    The rear vehicle licence plate shall be securely fixed within the boot of the vehicle in a manner which enables it to be easily inspected.

5.    The driver’s badge shall be available for inspection by an authorised officer of the Council, a police officer or by the hirer of the vehicle, on request.

6.    The Council’s agreement to a plate exemption is required to be carried on the vehicle at all times and to be available for inspection by an authorised officer of the Council, a police officer or by the hirer of the vehicle, on request.

7.    The driver of a plate exempted vehicle shall wear professional business attire.

8.    The hirer shall not have the facility to settle accounts and / or tender direct payment to the driver by any means. Payment may only be made, either before or after the journey, direct to the Operator or their accounting system. 

9.    No alcoholic drink shall be sold or purchased in or from the vehicle.