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Agenda item

Changes to Cambridge City Council Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy

Minutes:

In November 2023, the Department for Transport issued the “Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing: Best Practice Guidance for licensing authorities in England”. This guidance led to a review of Cambridge City Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy being presented to the Licensing Committee in September 2024.

 

The Committee gave permission for four potential changes to the Policy to be subject to a public consultation. This report brought those four potential changes to the Policy back to the Licensing Committee.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Environmental Health Manager said the following:

i.               In principle agreement from the Licensing Committee was required for the Council to provide wheelchair accessible training before Officers could look into what the cost of this training might be.

ii.             The Council would look at developing an ‘App’ for recording daily check results. When vehicle inspections were undertaken, Officers would ask to see the daily check records.

iii.            Noted Member’s request to add a sentence to the top of the daily vehicle check that these checks are required to protect the safety of the travelling public and the taxi drivers themselves.

 

Councillor Bick proposed an amendment to the Officer’s recommendation that officers explored whether all the daily safety checks needed to be undertaken daily or whether some could be carried out monthly.

 

This amendment was carried unanimously nem con.

 

The Legal Advisor requested that a vote be taken on the inclusion of a new paragraph 33.7 within the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy (as set out in paragraph 2.3 of  the Officer’s report), which clarified the position in regards to licence holders that have had their licences previously suspended, revoked or refused by Cambridge City Council or other Local Authorities that ‘An applicant who has been suspended/refused/revoked by Cambridge City Council or another Local Authority may not be considered “fit and proper” for a period of at least 10 years from the date of the suspension/refusal/revocation. This period may be extended depending on the circumstances. The NR3S register will be consulted for all applications’.

 

The Committee approved this unanimously.

 

Resolved (unanimously) to:

i.               Approve the changes made to the Policy as per the tracked changes in Appendix A of the Officer’s report, including:

a.    Introduction of the training of drivers in loading wheelchairs and wheelchair users into Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles.

b.    For drivers to daily safety checks of the licensed vehicle.

c.    Private Hire Vehicles should continue to display operator signs.

d.    Applicants shall hold a full driving license for more than 2 years before applying to be a licensed driver.

ii.             Delegate authority to Officers to explore whether all the daily safety checks needed to be undertaken daily or whether some could be carried out monthly.

iii.            Allow Officers to decide how to introduce and implement driver  training in loading wheelchairs and wheelchair users into Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles.

iv.           Approve that a new paragraph 33.7 be added to the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy stating that:

a.    An applicant who has been suspended/refused/revoked by Cambridge City Council or another Local Authority may not be considered “fit and proper” for a period of at least 10 years from the date of the suspension/refusal/revocation. This period may be extended depending on the circumstances. The NR3S register will be consulted for all applications.

 

Supporting documents: