Agenda and minutes

No apologies for absence were received.

Members are requested at a meeting where a disclosable pecuniary interest or personal interest arises, which is not already included in their Register of Members' Interests, todeclare any interests that relate to an item on the agenda.

Where a Member discloses a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, he/she must withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest, except where he/she is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of a dispensation.

Where a Member discloses a personal interest he/she must seek advice from the Monitoring Officer or staff member representing the Monitoring Officer to determine whether the Member should withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest or whether the Member can remain in the meeting or remain in the meeting and vote on the relevant decision.

No declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interests or personal interests were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 14 August 2019

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 14 August 2019 be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Head of Highways and Public Protection

Further to Minute No. 19 of the meeting of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee held on 9 September 2019, the Committee considered the report of the Head of Highways and Public Protection seeking approval for an adjustment to the fees and charges for Taxi Licensing Services in 2020.

The need for an adjustment to the fees agreed on 9 September 2019 had arisen because of objections to the proposed fee increases received from 2 representatives from the Hackney Carriage Trade as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report.

Mr Terry Wood, Environmental Health and Licensing Manger, presented the report and advised Members that the objections were about two main issues – namely,

·       A recent judicial review judgment in the case of Rehman v Wakefield City Council; and

·       Release of insufficient financial detail to justify the proposed increase.

Mr Wood indicated that following receipt of the objections, the fee charges had been adjusted in consultation with the objectors and other representatives from the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Trade, with significant additional financial information provided to justify the proposed increase, as detailed in Appendices 4-10 of the report.

Mr Wood advised that an appeal against the judgment by Wakefield City Council as outlined in paragraphs 6 to 8 of the report had now been heard and the judgment released on 10 December 2019. Wakefield had lost their appeal and this judgment had brought some further clarity to the wider fees issue, as detailed in Late Representations.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed uplift in fees to address the estimated shortfall in income and to fund increased enforcement activity as set out in the report, effective from 2 January 2020, be approved.