Agenda item

The report of Samantha Colley (Licensing Manager, South and East), sets out the way in which the Council seeks to determine the future provision of a harmonised hackney carriage and private hire licensing service.

The Licensing Team Manager (South and East) introduced the report and advised the Committee that they were being asked to consider the future provision of a harmonised hackney carriage and private hire licensing service.

The four former District Councils which now form Wiltshire Council currently operate four separate and different licensing regimes for the purposes of issuing the relevant licences.

All current licence holders in the taxi and private hire licensing trade in Wiltshire were sent a questionnaire and a set of the new proposed conditions.  The consultation also included a cross section of 600 members of the public and a number of bodies representing disabled users.  All licence holders were also invited to a trade meeting held at one of the four hub offices.

The Senior Solicitor outlined the legal advice to the Committee which was contained in Appendix 1 in relation to the attaching of conditions to a hackney carriage driver’s licence.

The Licensing Team Manager (South and East) explained the results of the consultation to the Committee and they asked questions about the results.

Mr T Berridge (Member of the Public) was present at the meeting and made a statement to the Committee that he was a taxi provider in the Warminster area and it was his view that there was not a requirement from his customers for 1 in 5 taxis to be wheelchair accessible.   He had a fleet of 40 cars and at present 1 in 8 of his vehicles was wheelchair accessible but he reported that this facility was not often required.

Members were advised that they could change the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles if they were unhappy with the proposed 1 in 5 vehicles.  Members felt that they would be happier with a figure of 1 in 10 wheelchair accessible vehicles.

The Licensing Team Manager (South and East) advised that there was strong support from the trade to retain the four separate zones under which the drivers can trade.  If one zone across Wiltshire was to be adopted there would potentially be limited rank space as drivers would be free to trade from any area in the County and they would probably flock to busy areas at busy times  leaving other parts of the County with no hackney carriage provision.

It was proposed to retain four different tariffs (one for each zone) and the Licensing Officer (North and West) reported that currently the tariffs in the North and West areas were somewhat lower than the South and East and consultation would be carried out with a view to increasing these tariffs.

Resolved:

1.         Enforcement Arrangements 

The penalty points scheme for Hackney Carriage Driver’s Licenses be extended to all drivers in the Wiltshire Council area from the date of implementation.

2.         Conditions

Vehicles should be no older than five years old when first licensed as a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle from the date of implementation.

3.         Conditions

In relation to wheelchair accessible vehicles:

a)     To introduce and extend the scheme for there to be 1 in 10 wheelchair accessible vehicles in the North, West and East hubs from the date of implementation.

b)     To phase out the existing grandfather rights which prevail in the South hub with regard to the pre1989 saloon plated vehicles and phase in the scheme (1 in 10 wheelchair accessible vehicles) over a  three year period starting from the date of implementation.

c)     This will be achieved in accordance with the Council’s proposed age restriction policy.  Authority for the detail of the phasing in process is delegated to Officers in consultation with the Chair of the Licensing Committee and Portfolio Holder.

4.         Enforcement Arrangements

All licensed vehicles are subject to a six monthly MOT or a compliance check and a conditions check to be carried out by a Wiltshire Council Licensing Officer from the date of implementation.

5.         Administrative Arrangements

To retain four zones in the Wiltshire Council area.

6.         Administrative Arrangements

To retain the four different existing tariffs (fares) within the harmonised conditions, enforcement and administrative arrangements. 

7.         Administrative Arrangements

That the changes detailed above shall be implemented from 1 October 2010.