To consider the consultation responses and to recommend to the Executive Committee that the proposed amendment to the Hackney Carriage (Taxi) and Private Hire Licensing Policy, as set out at Paragraph 2.8 of the report, be approved.

30.1          Attention was drawn to the report of the Licensing Operations and Development Team Leader, circulated at Pages No. 14-74, which provided the responses to the consultation in relation to the amendment to the current Hackney Carriage (Taxi) and Private Hire Licensing Policy to specify that all converted vehicles which had not been recategorised on the V5 (vehicle logbook) provide documentation to demonstrate that the vehicle is safe.  Members were asked to consider the responses and to recommend to the Executive Committee that the proposed amendment be approved.

30.2          The Licensing Operations and Development Team Leader advised that the report outlined the outcomes from the consultation that had taken place last year.  As reported to the Committee previously, it had been discovered that a number of licensed private hire vehicles were N1 category vehicles as could be seen from the V5 (logbook) – this meant that the vehicles had been converted from good vehicles to private hire vehicles and there was a need to ensure this had been done safely.  Throughout June and July 2022, all relevant vehicles had been tested to a Basic Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) standard by an approved local garage and, following the Special Licensing Committee meeting in August, a 12 week consultation was undertaken with all licence holders and Gloucestershire County Council on an amendment to the Hackney Carriage (Taxi) and Private Hire Licensing Policy with the wording set out at Paragraph 3.2 of the report.  Since that time, the Department for Transport had advised that the wording should be changed following a change in vehicle type approval standards following Brexit and had been introduced on 1 January 2023.  The amended wording had been circulated around the table and Members were advised that it did not change what the amendment was trying to achieve but simply provided more clarity.  It was noted that there were 55 N1 vehicles licensed by Tewkesbury Borough Council currently – this included two new vehicles since the testing in June/July – and, should the amendment be approved, they would all need to obtain a Basic IVA from a Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) approved test station, the closest ones being in Bristol and Kidderminster, by 1 April 2023.  Once approved by the Executive Committee, the wording would take effect immediately.

30.3          Accordingly, it was

RESOLVED           That it be RECOMMENDED TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE that an amendment to the Hackney Carriage (Taxi) and Private Hire Licensing Policy be APPROVED to insert updated wording as follows:

Where a wheelchair accessible vehicle has been converted by a bona fide converter before first registration, and the vehicle has then been registered with DVLA after conversion, the Council will accept that this vehicle will have passed the appropriate approval in order to be registered and so the vehicle will be accepted for licensing without need for further documentation unless it appears that further conversions have been made to the vehicle following registration.

Where a wheelchair accessible vehicle has been converted after first registration, e.g. from a van (N1 or N2 category shown on V5C), the applicant must provide the following M1 approval (where there are 8 or fewer passenger seats) following conversion:

                                                • UK Voluntary Individual Vehicle Approval (Normal or Basic                                  IVA accepted)

                                                For vehicles that have been converted and currently licensed                             with Tewkesbury Borough Council, an IVA will be required by                               30 April 2023.

Acceptable forms of approval for wheelchair accessible vehicles converted before registration include GB whole vehicle type approval (GB WVTA), EU whole vehicle type approval (ECWVTA/EUWVTA), UK(NI) whole vehicle type approval (UK(NI) WVTA), UK(NI) National Small Series type approval (UK(NI) NSSTA), GB Small series type approval (GB SSTA), and Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA).