Agenda item

The Director of Neighbourhood Services submitted a report presenting the findings of the Community Scrutiny Committee and, in particular, recommendations for Members to consider for inclusion in taxi licensing policy.

The Licensing Manager advised that the Leader of the Council had made a commitment to a review of taxi licensing services following a series of articles in the press regarding the criminal convictions of taxi licence holders.  Members were reminded that Community Scrutiny Committee had set up a Task and Finish Group to undertake a review of the Taxi Licensing process.

The Task and Finish Group had been led by Councillor R Beeching and was assisted by Councillors K Crofton, Mrs D Hollebon, M Pope and M Wood, with Councillor Mrs R Cheswright attending as an invited observer.  The Task and Finish Group had considered whether the taxi driver licensing process was effective, efficient and economic.

Members had considered evidence from taxi driver representatives and from Members and Officers involved with Development Control at face to face meetings.  Best practice from other Authorities had been gathered through desk-based research, which had been reviewed alongside models from lead bodies of both the car insurance and the security licensing (doormen) industry.  Members had also taken written evidence from the local police.

The Community Scrutiny Committee, at its meeting held on 20 November 2012, had endorsed the approach and findings of the Task and Finish group, and resolved to recommend to the Licensing Committee that a robust Convictions Policy be introduced, with some powers delegated to Officers.

Members were referred to Essential Reference Papers ‘B’ and ‘C’ for the recommendations from the Task and Finish Group.  Members were also invited to consider the convictions grid suggested by the Task and Finish Group.  Members were advised that there had been a degree of benchmarking with other Local Authorities and East Herts Council’s approach was more robust than a number of other Councils in Hertfordshire.

Councillor E Bedford commented that the Authority should have a convictions policy for Taxi Driver Licensing.  Councillor R Beeching stated that a lot of work had been done by Officers and the Task and Finish Group in considering the economy, efficiency and reliability of the Taxi Licensing function.  He stressed that Members had considered the delegated decision making process used by Development Control Officers when considering planning applications.  He also stated that this report sought Members’ endorsement in principle of a Convictions Policy, as detailed in Essential Reference Paper ‘B’.

In response to a query from Councillor E Buckmaster, the Licensing Manager commented that the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act did not apply to Taxi Drivers.  Members were advised that the risk categories proposed by the Task and Finish Group focussed on the risk to the public rather than the severity of a taxi driver’s previous offences and subsequent convictions.

The Licensing Manager drew Members’ attention to proposed additional changes to the Taxi Licensing Policy set out in Essential Reference Paper ‘C’.  Officers had identified these matters as suitable for change as part of the ongoing process of keeping the Policy under constant review.

Members received the report.

RESOLVED – that (A) the recommendations of Community Scrutiny Committee, as detailed in Essential Reference Paper ‘B’ to the report now submitted, be approved for incorporation into the Taxi Licensing Policy, subject to consultation with the licensed taxi trade, further consideration of consultation responses and further consideration by the legal department; and

(B)   Officers’ proposals, as detailed in Essential Reference Paper ‘C’ to the report now submitted, subject to deletion of the words ‘a reasonable amount of’ on page 35, be considered as further amendments of the Taxi Licensing Policy, subject to consultation with the licensed taxi trade and further consideration of consultation responses.