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Venue: Committee Room 1 & 2, The Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge, CB2 3QJ
Contact: Democratic Services Committee Manager
No. | Item |
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Apologies Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillors Gehring and Sargeant (Councillor Johnson attended as the Alternate). |
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Declarations of Interest Minutes: No declarations of interest were made. |
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Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 28 January and 22 May 2019 were
approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair. |
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Public Questions Minutes: A private hire driver made the following points: i. Agreed with the principle of safeguarding the public and the reason for the current requirement of low tinted windows. ii. Vehicles were being manufactured with darker tinted windows. iii.
He had contacted the Department of Transport who
did not support the changing of windows after manufacture. He explained that
the information he received from the Department of Transport said that if
windows were changed after vehicle manufacturing, it would be considered
modified. These modifications were ‘unapproved’ until the vehicle was
tested/serviced, at which point they could become re-approved.
iv.
Asked the Committee to be mindful of this. Councillors noted an email they had received from the Chairman of
Cambridge Hackney Carriage Association which made the following points:
i.
Asked Members to reconsider the current tint
requirement and have no specification for Taxi window tints. Tinted windows on
new vehicles was fast becoming standard with all manufacturers.
ii.
Currently many drivers are forced to pay for
expensive replacement glass
iii.
Electric vehicles were very hard to keep cool (air
conditioning takes a large current to operate), thus the vast majority come
pre-fitted with tinted windows to minimise solar effect.
iv.
The trade asked for card payment to be made
mandatory. Councillor Moore agreed the Licensing Committee should review its tint
policy. The Council wished to support drivers moving from petrol/diesel to
electric and low emission vehicles. Suggested that film tinted or totally
blacked out windows should not be approved to be licensed. A lesser tint should
be selected if available (so passengers could be seen, for safety reasons and
so enforcement officers could monitor numbers in vehicles). Councillor McPherson asked for clarity on how to keep electric vehicles
cool. The private hire driver said electric vehicles needed a reducer to make
air conditioning work efficiently. Having air conditioning in the vehicle
reduced the distance an electric vehicle could travel as it used up the battery
faster. This should be less of an issue in future when batteries were more
efficient. Councillor Summerbell asked if tinted windows should be installed in electric and non-electric licensed vehicles to keep them cooler and so use less air conditioning. Councillor Moore said the council was encouraging licensees away from petrol/diesel vehicles towards electric and ultra-low emission ones. So non-electric vehicles should not be an issue in future. |
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Review and Update of Taxi Tint Specification Requirement Additional documents:
Minutes: The Committee received a report from the Team Manager
(Commercial & Licensing). The Officer’s report advised that under the powers conferred
to Cambridge City Council under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and the Local
Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, (as amended), Cambridge City
Council has responsibility for licensing Hackney Carriage, Private Hire and
Dual Licence Drivers as well as vehicle proprietors and Private Hire Operators
within the City. The current Hackney
Carriage & Private Hire Licensing Handbook, is
guidance provided to all drivers, vehicles and operators and was last updated
in April 2019. Since January
2019, Licensing officers have noted that some vehicles wishing to be licensed
are failing their Certificate of Compliance, due to vehicle rear passenger
windows not complying with Cambridge City Council current window tint
requirement. As a result, in order for vehicle to be licensed, vehicles are
requiring to get their windows replaced. Taxi licensing
policies have been implemented to transform the vehicle fleet into a low
emission fleet which will lead to a significant reduction in emissions and a
significant improvement in air quality in Cambridge. The taxi trade has
requested the City Council to reconsider the current tint requirement due to
the lack of electric vehicles manufactured in the car market that meet current
tint requirements. The taxi trade has
also expressed concern during Taxi Trade Forums, over the cost of changing
windows, the requirement of purchasing electric vehicles, and the need to
install CCTV cameras in their vehicles. Following
research, there are several options to Cambridge City Council include: · Retain current
tint requirement (70% transition/ 30% tint). · Have no specification
for Taxi window tints. · Allow for
manufactured window tint up to a specific level of tint, i.e
maximum tint of either 70%, 80% or 90%, ensuring
complete black out tints are not permitted. In response to Members’ questions the Team Leader (Environmental Health
and Licensing Support) said the following:
i.
Dealers gave conflicting information whether window
tint levels recommended by officers would allow licensed drivers a wider choice
of vehicles. It was anticipated that 70% tint would do so. Manufactures were
changing their specifications over time so the levels of tint in windows may
change over time.
ii.
Officers had no data how many licensed vehicles
currently had 70% window tints.
iii.
Taxis met current specifications. The tint policy
would be applied in future if agreed. Officers had kept a list of
vehicles that did not meet the current 30% tint maximum and 70% transition
requirement, as their windows were much darker. This list includes those
vehicles tested at Certificate of Compliance since April 2019, that had failed
there Certificate of Compliance in regards to dark tinted windows. Once members
had decided on new tint requirement, these vehicle owners would be contacted
regarding what was required of their vehicle windows.
iv.
(Reference agenda pack P29). All listed Toyota cars
met current licensing policy and should meet/exceed future tint policy ones.
v.
The window tint policy would be applied to vehicles
when they were being tested for their Certificate of Compliance (not required
before). Depending what rear window specification was
agreed by Members, vehicles would be required to comply with this at their next
Certificate of Compliance test.
vi.
The policy to require installation of CCTV in
licensed vehicles was agreed in 2017, but its implementation had been delayed. Councillor Johnson suggested amending
recommendation 2.4 to remove the word “no”, to avoid a double negative. 2.4 The amendment was unanimously agreed. In response to Councillor
Johnson’s amendment the Team Leader proposed the following amendment which was
agreed. 2.3
Only vehicles with manufactured tinted windows, The Committee: Considered and unanimously approved the
following change to current Taxi Window tint specification:
i.
70% window tint maximum and 30% transition minimum
for rear passenger windows (as per Appendix E of the Officer’s report).
ii.
Only vehicles with manufactured tinted windows, up
to above standard will be approved to be licensed.
iii.
Film tinted windows will not be approved to be
licensed.
iv.
Front windscreen and Front passenger and driver
windows to meet national legal requirement. |
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Review and Update of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Taxi Licensing Policy Additional documents:
Minutes: The Committee received a report from the Team Manager
(Commercial & Licensing). The Officer’s report advised that under the powers conferred
to Cambridge City Council under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and the Local Government
(Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, (as amended), Cambridge City Council has
responsibility for licensing Hackney Carriage, Private Hire and Dual Licence
Drivers as well as vehicle proprietors and Private Hire Operators within the
City. The Hackney
Carriage and Private Hire Licensing policy (the ‘policy’) was produced in order
to provide the Council, its officers, the trade and the public with appropriate
guidelines that put the Council’s licensing requirements into practice in a
clear and transparent manner. In exercising its discretion in carrying out its
regulatory functions, the Council shall have regard to the Hackney Carriage and
Private Hire Licensing policy document. At Full Licensing
Committee on 28 January 2019, Members agreed for a public consultation to be
undertaken on the existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.
The Consultation took place from 4 February 2019 until 10 March 2019. Members were
requested to review responses received during the public consultation and
determine if:
i.
There should be a mandatory requirement for Hackney
Vehicles or Private Hire, or both Hackney Vehicles, Private Hire to carry card
payment method to accept debit/credit card payments.
ii.
The addition of information on NR3 should be added
to policy. Members were also
requested to consider the timescale for implementation. In response to the
report, the Committee supported the introduction of card payment facilities in
licensed vehicles. The Team Leader (Environmental Health and Licensing Support) said the
following in response to Members’ questions:
i.
NR3 was not a statutory database. Local Authorities
were encouraged to sign up to it as it was a good scheme. It was thought that
the neighbouring councils had either signed up or were in the process of signing
up to NR3, this included Wolverhampton and South Cambs.
ii.
It was a lengthy process to review the NR3 database
so officers proposed to only do so when a licence was due for renewal. If
councillors wanted more frequent checks (eg every 6 months) then a change to
policy was recommended.
iii.
(Reference agenda pack P49). a.
It was illegal to display a sign refusing credit
card payments that were less than £10. b.
It was illegal to add credit card service fees to
the journey charge. c.
There were exceptional circumstances where credit
card payments could be cancelled by the card holder, but they would need to
demonstrate they had not approved/authorised payment. The Committee: Considered responses received from the consultation (Appendix C of the
Officer’s report) and unanimously agreed:
i.
The mandatory requirement of card payment methods
to be applicable for both Hackney and Private hire vehicles.
ii.
The addition of NR3 information. Considered and agreed the following proposed implementation plan:
iii.
The installation of payment card machine will need
to be in place at the next vehicle Certificate of Compliance, as of 12 August
2019.
iv.
Changes in the Policy in relation to NR3 with
immediate effect. |