Issue - meetings
PROPOSED CHANGES TO HACKNEY CARRIAGE VEHICLES TABLE OF FARES AND CHARGES
Meeting: 13/09/2023 - Licensing Committee (Item 5)
5 PROPOSED CHANGES TO HACKNEY CARRIAGE VEHICLES TABLE OF FARES AND CHARGES PDF 370 KB
To consider a report by the Head of Planning, Public Protection and Regulatory Services (copy enclosed) seeking the Committee’s review of the current tariff charges for hackney carriage vehicles (taxis).
Additional documents:
- HACKNEY CARRIAGE FARE REVIEW 2023 - APPENDIX A RESPONSES, item 5
PDF 266 KB
- HACKNEY CARRIAGE FARE REVIEW 2023 - APPENDIX B - 01.07.22 HACKNEY CARRIAGE TABLE OF FARES, item 5
PDF 462 KB
- HACKNEY CARRIAGE FARE REVIEW 2023 - APPENDIX C - TARIFF AND CHARGES, item 5
PDF 180 KB
- Webcast for PROPOSED CHANGES TO HACKNEY CARRIAGE VEHICLES TABLE OF FARES AND CHARGES
Decision:
RESOLVED, by majority vote, that –
(a) officers be instructed to consult on the
implementation of an increase to the tariff by 5% (rounded to the nearest full
percent) in line with the Retail Price Index for Motoring;
(b) officers be authorised to proceed with a
statutory notice with an implementation date of at least 28 days following
publication of the notice, and
(c) officers be instructed to prepare a report
for the next Licensing Committee if any objections were received to that
statutory notice.
Minutes:
[Councillor Win Mullen-James abstained from voting on this
item because she had joined the meeting late and had not been present for the
whole debate.]
The Public Protection Business
Manager (PPBM) submitted a report (previously circulated) seeking the
Committee’s review of the current tariff charges for hackney carriage vehicles
(taxis), including options for consideration and recommendations on the way
forward. The current tariff charges had
been set in July 2022.
Following a request from a
licensed driver, officers had consulted on a proposed 10% increase to all
tariffs and extras to ascertain the views of the licensed trade. The responses included general support for an
increase and numerous alternative variations of the proposal. The Licensing Consultant’s Report on the 2022
fare review had recommended a methodology for calculating future fares which
was reliant on sufficient data being provided by the licensed trade; that
engagement work had commenced with no definitive timescale for completion. In the absence of that data, the Consultant
had recommended using the Retail Price Index (RPI) for Motoring (4.8% as of
August 2023) as a tool to increase/decrease fares.
The PPBM guided members through
the report in detail and options available to either retain the current table
of fares, support the proposal for a 10% tariff increase, or support an
increase in line with the RPI for Motoring.
If members supported a fares increase a public consultation would be
undertaken on the proposal with any objections brought back before the
Committee for consideration. Any final
tariff would be subject to a Lead Member Delegated Decision. Officers had recommended consultation on a
tariff increase of 5% (rounded to the nearest full percent) in line with the RPI for Motoring as recommended by
the Consultant.
Members considered the report and
options available to them, and there were mixed views as to the best way
forward. Questions were raised with the
PPBM on various aspects of the report and initial consultation with the trade,
with some concerns raised regarding assumptions that non-respondents were not
supportive of a review, the general lack of response from the taxi trade to
inform the process, and inflation rate fluctuations when used as a basis for
tariff increases. Whilst general
concerns were raised regarding the timing of a tariff increase during a cost of
living crisis and impact on taxi users, regard was also given to the impact on
the taxi trade who were dealing with increased costs affecting the
industry. It was felt there should be a
more structured approach to reviewing tariffs on a regular basis.
The PPBM responded to members’
questions and comments as follows –
·
there were no statutory timeframes for reviewing
taxi fares and charges
·
following the request for a tariff increase it
was considered appropriate to gauge support for an increase from the taxi trade
·
280 licensed drivers had been consulted, 56 had
responded with 47 in support of an increase, which was considered sufficient to
proceed with a review
·
there was no methodology behind the assumption
that those who failed to respond were satisfied with the current tariff, and
given the low response rate to consultations generally, that assumption could
not be satisfactorily concluded
·
officers were working to engage with the taxi
trade as recommended by the Consultant with a view to calculating future fare
increases and on completion of that work regular reviews would be carried out
on a structured and timely basis
·
whilst the consultees and respondents had been
referred to as licensed drivers, they also included taxi business owners and
proprietors
· if a fares increase was supported a wide-ranging consultation with the public and stakeholders ... view the full minutes text for item 5