Agenda item

The Licensing Committee are asked to note the final report of the Late Night Taxi Fares Task Group that was presented to Environment Select Committee on 8 January 2019 and to give their views on the recommendations that are proposed to enable the Cabinet Member to prepare a response.

The Chairman referred to the final report of the late-night Taxi Fares Task Group (set up by Environment Select Committee) which had been circulated with the Agenda. 

Cllr Jerry Wickham, the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Public Protection was not able to be present at the meeting as intended, but wished for a statement to be read out on his behalf and this is below:

“The issue before you this morning is that in 2014 this authority introduced a new policy and practices associated with the licensing of taxis. This included the harmonisation of tariffs. Since being the Cabinet Member having responsibility for this area, I have fairly routinely been contacted by representatives from Salisbury’s night time economy seeking a review of these policies. I had consistently refused to entertain any review stating that the circumstances had not radically changed. However, after the Salisbury incident and especially the recovery phase, I was asked to reconsider my decision which I agreed to do. Accordingly, I then invited the Environment Select Committee to instigate a review and this they subsequently undertook by way of a Task Group under the chairmanship of Cllr Graham Payne.

The findings of this task group are summarised in the report before you all and you will note that there are five recommendations. Essentially, the first two relate to the issues of the tariffs and the remainder linked to driver qualifications, CCTV in vehicles and the number of vehicles with disabled facilities vehicles. I very much welcome these findings and wish to again offer my thanks to Cllr Payne and his Councillor colleagues as well as all the witnesses that provided evidence to the task group.

In terms of moving forward, in the last few weeks central Government has indicated that it has a number of new proposals coming down the line leading to legislative changes. To therefore instigate too much work, especially over driver qualifications and suitability as well as CCTV, would be premature and at this time, I do not know the full extent of the proposed changes and what further impact they might make.

Accordingly, I am proposing that for the present time, we should pause on undertaking too much further work albeit in your capacity Mr Chairman you might wish to continue looking at the tariff issue. On that basis, I understand that you might wish to consider, through the Licensing Committee, a further detailed examination of the tariffs by instigating your own Working Group to enable a county wide appreciation to be factored into this discussion. Should you wish to do so, I know that officers and myself would be only too pleased to assist this group through its work. You will also appreciate that I will look very carefully at your findings moving forward and would welcome any such approach.”

Julie Anderson-Hill (Head of Service, Culture and Operational Change) reported that the Department for Transport were currently carrying out consultation to seek views on proposed statutory guidance to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles (PHV) licensing authorities on how to use their licensing powers to protect children and vulnerable adults.  This consultation closes on 22 April 2019 and the authority would be submitting a response by that date.  As indicated by Cllr Wickham this was likely to lead to legislative changes, so it was proposed that the Council’s identified work on this area be put on hold which would enable time to carry out a holistic view of all the policies surrounding fit and proper persons, Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing, accessible taxis, training and use of CCTV. 

The Chairman proposed that a working group be set up by the Licensing Committee to sit under the Licensing Committee in order to carry on looking at the tariff rates across all of Wiltshire in the meantime as it would ultimately be the Licensing Committee that would need to make a recommendation on any proposed changes.

The Licensing Committee Members asked the following questions:

Q        How long would it take for this Working Group to reach its conclusion?

A        We would hope that this would be as soon as possible.  We don’t want it to drift on.  Recommendations need to be thorough.  It may be possible to hold fewer long meetings than more and shorter meetings.

Q        How will we do a better job that the Late-Night Taxi Fares Task Group?

A        The Licensing Committee need to take ownership of this work now and will be committing to finding a way forward as soon as possible.

A Councillor present at the meeting who was also a member of the Task Group reported that they found conflicting evidence between what changes those in Salisbury and other areas in the county wanted.

The Chairman accepted that this was a complex issue but wished to thank the members of the Environment Select Committee and the Task Group, but felt it was now time for the Licensing Committee to take this on and move it forward.

The importance of balancing what the public users want, and the commerciality of the trade needed to be considered and it was agreed that the Terms of Reference would need to clearly state the objectives of the Working Group.

Another Member suggested that consideration should be given to all areas in Wiltshire as there are also other military areas. 

The Democratic Services Officer reported that she would investigate how many Members would be required to form the Working Group and would contact Members following the meeting to make arrangements for the Working Group to be set up.

Resolved:

That the Licensing Committee agree to set up a Working Group of up to 6 Councillors to consider the Taxi Tariffs across Wiltshire.