Issue - meetings

Report of the Senior Licensing & Enforcement Officer

The Committee gave consideration to the report and appendix (as set out at pages 6 – 11 of the agenda pack) which asked it to note the work undertaken by the Licensing Section during the third quarter of 2018/19.

The Committee reiterated its concerns regarding the increasingly high number of combined Hackney Carriage / Private Hire (HC/PV) drivers’ licence applications continuing to be received by/for a Council of a relatively small administrative area.

The Committee was advised that no limit on the number of HC/PV drivers’ licences issued could be enforced as the Council was statutorily obliged to grant to any person a licence if it was satisfied that the applicant was a ‘fit and proper person’. However, a number of measures to strengthen existing testing processes were to be introduced imminently in order to filter out a higher calibre of licenced drivers.

The Committee was also advised that the possible introduction of a saturation policy to limit the number of hackney carriage vehicles would be difficult to implement given the robust evidence-base needed to withstand any potential challenge.

The Chair requested that any matters pertinent to the Borough as raised at the Leicestershire & Rutland Licensing Forum be reported back to the Committee.

By affirmation of the meeting, it was

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED THAT:

The contents of the report and appendix be noted.