L.9/17
Consideration was given to a report that
sought to recommend to Council approval of the draft Taxi Licensing
Policy.
In
his introduction, the Chairman highlighted some concerns that he
had been made aware of in relation to the proposed Fees and Charges
Table. As a consequence, he was of the
view that there was a need for greater work to be carried out on
the Fees and Charges Table and felt that this should be initially
discussed in an informal Committee Workshop. In the ensuing discussion, a number of Members
welcomed this suggestion.
In
discussion on the draft Policy, reference was made to:-
(a)
the use of fire extinguishers. Whilst
the Policy could promote the need for fire extinguishers in
licensed hackney carriage and private hire vehicles to help tackle
minor incidents, officers advised that it could not be a mandatory
requirement, particularly when a number of drivers would not have
been trained on how to use them properly;
(b)
the requirement for vehicle licence holders to carry copies of
documents including: Driving Licence; Insurance; and V5
Registration Document. The Committee
was informed that removal of this requirement had been requested
during the consultation exercise.
However, it would still remain a requirement to make these
documents available for inspection.
Nonetheless, a Member expressed his disappointment at the proposal
to particularly remove the requirement in relation to carrying a
copy of the Driving Licence and Insurance.
It was then:
RESOLVED
1.
That the Council be RECOMMENDED that
the draft Taxi Licensing Policy be adopted for implementation on 1
April 2018; and
2.
That the Committee defer a decision on the Fees and
Charges Table to a future Committee meeting.