Cabinet Member for Environment
Decision:
It was RESOLVED: -
That Cabinet following consideration of Licensing and Regulatory Committee’s recommendation adopt the post consultation draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Policy, attached as Appendix A.
REASON FOR DECISION
Following the publication of the new Statutory Standards for Taxi’s and Private Hire Vehicles, Councils are required to review the recommendations from the Department for Transport (DFT) and consult on any changes to their current policies.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:
All options to be considered are contained within the body of the report.
Any Declarations of Interests Declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None
Minutes:
Note: The meeting was adjourned before this item between 11:30 am and 11:39 am.
75.1 The Chair invited the Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Fleming to introduce the report.
75.2 Councillor Fleming proposed recommendations 3.1 and 3.2 in the report and introduced the Chair of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee, Councillor Guthrie, who was present to assist with responding to member’s questions.
75.3 Councillor Guthrie stated that the report was substantial and thanked those who had responded to the consultation and officers for the report.
75.4 Councillor Flatman seconded the recommendations.
75.5 The Cabinet Member for Environment responded to questions from other Members attending the meeting on issues including whether any consideration had been made in relation to the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Policy for when electric vehicles became mandatory.
75.6 To ensure a continuous taxi service in the District, the Council was not in position to mandate a time period for a change over to electric vehicle for the taxi service at this point, however the transition to electric vehicles would come in time.
75.7 The Assistant Director for Environment and Commercial Partnerships added that improvements to infrastructure, and the taxi trades appetite to change to electric vehicles were kept under continuous review and if any changes were required sooner, talks would be undertaken with the community to find the right time for these.
75.8 The Chair of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee advised Members that there was one electrical taxi in the District. She added that the instillation of electrical charging points in the District was a planning matter.
75.9 In response to comments made by other Members attending the meeting, the Cabinet Member for Environment pointed out that the taxi trade in some urban areas would find it easier to transfer to electric vehicles than a rural area such as Mid Suffolk District and that the cost in investing in an electrical vehicle was high for taxi drivers.
75.10 In response to a question for the time frame of the research and development of an incentive scheme for greener vehicles for the taxi trade, the Licensing Officer stated that this had not been determined but that the policy was reviewed every three years.
75.11 A response to the question regarding the number of hybrid taxi vehicles in the District, would be provided to outside the meeting.
75.12 Members debated the issues and thanked the Chair of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee and the officers for the thorough work on the policy, and the trade for responding to the consultation to support the policy.
It was RESOLVED: -
That Cabinet, following consideration of Licensing and Regulatory Committee’s recommendation, adopted the post consultation draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Policy, attached as Appendix A.
REASON FOR DECISION
Following the publication of the new Statutory Standards for Taxi’s and Private Hire Vehicles, Councils are required to review the recommendations from the Department for Transport (DFT) and consult on any changes to their current policies.
Supporting documents: