Agenda item

To consider a report by the Head of Planning and Public Protection (copy attached) which details the review of taxi and private hire vehicles (PHV) licensing policies and procedures and advises on the reporting mechanism to Licensing Committee.

                                                                                                           11.45 a.m.

A copy of a report by the Head of Planning and Public Protection had been circulated with the papers for the meeting which detailed the comprehensive review of taxi and private hire vehicles (PHV) licensing policies and procedures and advised on the reporting mechanism to the Licensing Committee.

The report was presented and summarised by the Head of Planning and Public Protection (HPPP) and the Senior Licensing Officer (SLO).  The HPPP informed Members that the policies and procedures to ensure appropriate control over taxis and PHVs were being revised to provide for a robust taxi and PHV licensing system.  The duties and responsibilities of the Licensing Admin Team, who work in conjunction with a number of teams and agencies, and details of the licensing system had been summarised in the report.  The Licensing Committee consider and propose policy and make decisions as a quasi-judicial body on individual applications, with a number of decisions being delegated to officers or the Head of Service.

Taxi licensing was said to be a particularly complex area with co-ordination and communication between service areas of the Council and partner agencies integral to the safe operation of the system and to the protection and safety of the public.  The Authority would continue to take robust action against operators and drivers who were non-compliant and failed to meet the required standards.  In order to ensure that the process was as robust as possible a full review of the taxi licensing process had commenced during 2012.  Details of the project management approach and the project proposal had been included in Appendix 1 to the report.

Licensing Administration Officers, Enforcement Officers, Social Services, Fleet Services, School Transport and North Wales Police had, as a Group, identified areas for improved communication and achieved the desired outcome of clarifying roles and responsibilities within the taxi licensing process.  This had been facilitated by Internal Audit and revised processes were produced and circulated to the Group for final agreement.  The revised process would be presented to the Head of Service and the Licensing Committee and had been included as Appendix 2a.  Further work had been planned to review the scheme of delegation and areas of the Constitution.

An update report would be presented to the Licensing Committee in 2013, and the work programme for the Licensing Committee had been included as Appendix 3.  Members agreed that a review of the effectiveness of the revised policies and procedures be undertaken later in 2013, and that an update report be submitted to the Scrutiny Committee in September, 2013.

The SLO responded to questions from Councillor D. Owens and provided details pertaining to the issuing and renewal of taxi driver licenses and the importance of undertaking CRB checks.  She explained that licenses were renewed annually and CRB checks undertaken every three years.  The SLO stressed the importance of interaction with other agencies and made particular reference to the introduction of new processes which would require applicants to provide declarations of any current or spent convictions.  These processes would minimise any risks and assist in improving an already robust system.

The following responses were provided by the officers to questions submitted and issues raised by Members:-

- details of the differentiation between hackney carriage and private hire vehicles was provided by SLO.

- there being less legislative control over taxi company proprietors than taxi drivers.

- confirmation was provided that the Licensing Authority receives immediate notification of taxis which had failed their MOT tests to ensure they were not utilised as taxis.

- in response to issues raised by Councillor G. Lloyd-Williams, the SLO provided details of the process of obtaining and undertaking CRB checks on taxi drivers, the timescales involved and the impending changes to the system.  The SLO informed the Committee that employers would be notified of any changes in the status of a person who had been CRB checked.

- the limit on the number of taxi plates issued had been discontinued and this had eliminated the unauthorised sale of the taxi plates between taxi operators.

- the HPPP explained that whilst taxi driver tests were not a statutory requirement, refusal by a driver to undertake the test could be referred to the Licensing Committee for consideration.

- the process adopted for revoking and suspending taxi driver licenses was outlined by the SLO together with the procedure for the removal of plates from taxis.

- in instances where applicants for licenses were found to have previous offences and convictions, each individual case would be considered on merit and the timescales and category of conviction would be taken into consideration.

Following further discussion, it was:-

RESOLVED – that Performance Scrutiny Committee:-

(a)   receives and notes the content of the report

(b)   supports the approach undertaken to date under the review of licensing processes; and

(c)   agrees to receive an update report in Autumn 2013 in order to review the effectiveness of the new processes once fully operational.