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Agenda item
HACKNEY CARRIAGE/ PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLE AND PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLE OPERATOR FEES - 2019/20
Minutes:
The Licensing Manager presented the report,
which recommended changes in fees in respect of Private Hire/ Hackney Carriage
Vehicle and Operator fees following the statutory 28 day consultation period in
respect of proposed increases.
Members were reminded of the report on Taxi and
General Licensing/Registration/Permit Fees for 2019/20 considered by the
Committee on 20th June 2019 and set out at Appendix 1, which included a £10.00
increase for vehicle fees and a £22.00 increase for operator fees for a five
year licence. The proposed fee for a vehicle
licence falls short of full cost recovery but was felt to be a realistic
increase in the current climate.
At that meeting, the Committee approved the
statutory publication of the proposed new fees in respect of these licence
types for a 28 day consultation period, with the new fees to come into effect
immediately thereafter if no objections were received. During the 28 day consultation period, an
objection to the proposed increases was received from the Caerphilly County
Borough Taxi Drivers Association which was set out at Appendix 2 of the
report. The CCBTDA asked to raise their
objection directly with the Committee and no detail as to the nature of the
objection was included with their submission.
The Committee were therefore asked to consider
the proposed fees as detailed in section 5.4 of the latest report, subject to
any comments from the CCBDTA, and determine the fees for 2019/20 and the date
any variations should come into effect.
Mr Chris Bundy of the CCBTDA was invited to
address the Committee and outline his objections regarding the proposals. Mr Bundy spoke of the financial hardship
already being experienced by many taxi drivers as a result of increases across
fuel prices, insurance premiums, and other taxi-associated costs, and of the
uncertainty being faced by the trade in view of Brexit. With this in mind, he appealed to the
Committee to consider delaying any fee increase until after 31st October 2019
(the date scheduled for Britain to leave the EU), in order to allow the trade
to gauge and prepare for any impact following Brexit.
Questions were invited from the Committee and a Member queried if the
fee increase could be delayed until after Brexit. Officers advised that any consideration of
any postponement would be a matter for the Committee.
Following discussion amongst the Committee, an amendment to the report
recommendation was moved and seconded, in that determination of the vehicle and
operator fees for 2019/20 be delayed until after the scheduled Brexit date of
31st October 2019, and that the proposed fee increases be brought back to the
Taxi and General Committee for reconsideration after that date. By a show of hands this was unanimously
agreed.
RESOLVED that :-
(i) determination of the vehicle and
operator fees for 2019/20 as set out in the report be delayed until after the
scheduled Brexit date of 31st October 2019;
(ii) the
proposals in respect of these fee increases be brought back to the Taxi and
General Committee for reconsideration after the above date.
Supporting documents: