Agenda and minutes

When the continuous alarm sounds you must evacuate the building by the nearest available fire exit. Members and visitors should proceed to the visitors’ car park at the front of the building and await further instructions (during office hours staff should proceed to their usual assembly point; outside of office hours proceed to the visitors’ car park). Please do not re-enter the building unless instructed to do so.

In the event of a fire any person with a disability should be assisted in leaving the building.

3.1             The evacuation procedure, as noted on the Agenda, was taken as read. 

4.1             Apologies for absence were received from Councillor G J Bocking (Chair).  There were no substitutes for the meeting. 

5.1             The Committee’s attention was drawn to the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct which was adopted by the Council on 26 June 2012 and took effect from 1 July 2012.

5.2             There were no declarations made on this occasion.

To approve the Minutes of the Licensing Committee meetings held on 21 March and 28 May 2019; the Licensing Sub-Committee (Street Trading and Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles, Drivers and Operators) meetings held on 15 July and 16 September 2019; and the Licensing Sub-Committee (Licensing Act 2003 and Gambling Act 2005) meeting held on 5 August 2019.

6.1             The Minutes of the Licensing Committee meetings held on 21 March and 28 May 2019, the Licensing Sub-Committee (Street Trading and Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles, Drivers and Operators) meetings held on 15 July and 16 September 2019, and the Licensing Sub-Committee (Licensing Act 2003 and Gambling Act 2005) meeting held on 5 August 2019, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as correct records and signed by the Chair.

To consider the updates in respect of: responses to the public consultation on the revised Hackney Carriage (Taxi) and Private Hire Policy; the Taxi Licensing Task Group; the changes to the Houses in Multiple Occupation regime; implementation of the Animal Welfare Regulations; the Licensing Audit Action Plan; and the Hackney Carriage Tariff. 

7.1             Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 16-32, which provided a general update on licensing.  Members were asked to note the responses made in relation to the public consultation on the revised Hackney Carriage (Taxi) and Private Hire Policy; to note that a countywide Taxi Licensing Task Group had been established to consider opportunities to align standards and policies; to note progress in relation to the implementation of the revised definition of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and the new Animal Welfare Regulations; and to approve that no change be made to the Hackney Carriage Tariff.

7.2             The Senior Licensing Officer advised that a revised Hackney Carriage (Taxi) and Private Hire Policy had been approved for public consultation at the Licensing Committee meeting on 21 March 2019 following review by a Licensing Working Group.  The consultation had taken place between 3 June and 26 August 2019 and the Council had received responses from one local resident, five operators/drivers and one other licensing authority, Cheltenham Borough Council; a summary of the responses was attached at Appendix 1 to the report.  One operator had requested a further meeting to discuss the proposals which was currently being arranged.  Following that meeting, consideration would be given to the responses received and the policy amended as necessary with a view to bringing a revised version to the Licensing Committee in February 2020 for approval.

7.3             A Member queried what issues had been raised in the responses to date.  The Senior Licensing Officer firstly explained that there were currently no national standards for the licensing of taxi and private hire drivers and each Council adopted its own policies; however, the government planned to introduce new statutory guidance following consultation earlier in the year, therefore, most licensing authorities were reluctant to rubber stamp any new policies until that had been introduced as they would be legally obliged to have regard to such guidance.  In terms of the response from Cheltenham Borough Council, Members were advised that age of vehicles was a contentious issue – Cheltenham Borough Council currently required new taxi and private hire vehicles to be under five years and, once licenced, the upper limit was 14 years.  Tewkesbury Borough Council’s policy did not currently set an age limit but this issue had been considered by the Hackney Carriage (Taxi) and Private Hire Policy Review Working Group and the revised policy introduced an age limit of 10 years.  Cheltenham Borough Council had raised an objection to the proposal because of the amount of private hire vehicles licensed by Tewkesbury Borough Council but working within Cheltenham Borough; this was a bone of contention as Cheltenham Borough Council was trying to promote cleaner air quality.  The Member indicated that Tewkesbury Borough Council had recently passed a motion declaring a climate change emergency so he felt this was something which needed to be reflected upon.  The Senior Licensing Officer explained that a lot of the comments from the licensed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Chairman will move the adoption of the following resolution:

That under Section 100(A)(4) Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

8.1             On a proposal from the Chair, it was

RESOLVED          That, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely discussion of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act. 

To approve the separate Minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Sub-Committee (Street Trading and Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles, Drivers and Operators) meetings held on 15 July and 16 September 2019.

9.1             The separate Minutes of the Licensing Sub-Committee (Street Trading and Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles, Drivers and Operators) meetings held on 15 July and 16 September 2019, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as correct records and signed by the Chair.