Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Early Intervention and Support (enclosed).

The Director of Early Intervention and Support submitted a report for Members to consider the contents of the report and approve a method to issue one Hackney Carriage Vehicle (HCV) licence.

The Council currently restrict the number of HCV licenses to 36. There were at present 35 Hackney Carriage Vehicles licensed, following the revocation of one vehicle licence in January 2017. HCV licences were understood to command a significant intrinsic value and it was therefore appropriate that special measures be taken when allocating any available HCV licences in a fair and transparent way.

Members were asked to consider the method to re-allocate the HCV licence that would best serve the Hackney Carriage trade and the taxi travelling public. Members were advised that it would be appropriate to adopt those conditions and criteria that were broadly recommended to the Licensing and Public Safety Committee in 2008 and again in 2010 for the issue of a HCV licence. 

The process involved contacting current holders of Chorley Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Driver Licences, proprietors of PHV’s and operators of PHV’s inviting them to apply to be considered to be entered into a tombola style draw for a HCV licence, (Members noted that the proposed process excluded any person from entering the application process who currently held or had transferred a Chorley Council HCV Proprietorship). The reasoning for this approach was to offer new opportunities to those who had otherwise been excluded from entering the trade and to not reward those who had chosen to leave the trade.

The Regulatory Services Manager made a verbal amendment to the Allocation of Hackney Carriage Licence Policy, with regards to item 3h on page 40 of the policy document. This was verbally updated to ensure that the applicant must be registered on the electoral register or pay business rates within the borough in order to fulfil the criteria.

The draw would be made at the next Licensing and Public Safety Committee meeting, where the successful applicant would be offered first refusal on the conditional grant of a Wheel Chair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) Hackney Carriage Vehicle licence. Two further draws would be made at the same time representing a second and third place, who would in turn be offered the same opportunity should the winning applicant be unable to fulfil the commitment to exercise the WAV HCV licence within 2 months of being notified of the award.

Members were satisfied that the proposed method was transparent and offered new opportunities to those who had otherwise been denied access to a HCV licence. This method also addressed the taxi travelling public interest concerns. The HCV licence would be designated an accessible vehicle and the proprietor of that vehicle could not transfer that HCV licence and vehicle for a period of 5 years from the date of first licensing.

After careful consideration it was RESOLVED (unanimously);

1.    to approve the contents of the report and delegate the administrative process to the Director of Early Intervention and Support who would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 80