Issue - meetings

The Committee gave consideration to the report and appendices (at pages 6 - 9) as delivered by the Interim Licensing Team Leader which should be read together with these minutes as a composite document.

The Interim Licensing Team Leader stated that at a meeting of this Committee on 22 July 2015, it was resolved by Members, in accordance with Section 12 of the Taxi Licensing Policy (as adopted), that only 12-month motor insurance certificates (“certificates”) were to be accepted henceforth. It was reported that in response, it was the insurance companies’ intention to instigate judicial review proceedings challenging the resolution on the grounds that, amongst other things, the Council did not consult upon the same. Members were advised that it was this Council’s formal counter-response to therefore undertake a full consultation upon the subject-matter for a six-week period (as recommended at 2 at page 6). With reference to the draft consultation document at appendix 1 (at pages 8 - 9), it was stated that the document sought to invite comments from primarily three consultee-groups (viz. current hackney carriage/private hire vehicle licence holders, the police and insurance companies/brokers), the results of which would be brought back to the next meeting of this Committee on 07 April 2016. It was reiterated that it remained the position of the Council to seek to end operating a 7-day certificate arrangement for the reasons outlined in the draft consultation document at (a)-(c) (at page 8).

With reference to the draft consultation document at (a) and the heading marked ‘The Trade; respectively, the Chair proposed two amendments, namely that: (i) the added cost implication of the “administrative work” be itemised; and (ii) the practice of accepting 7-day certificates be so-described as creating an “extra administrative workload” due to the additional provision of time and personnel. The Chair further raised a concern regarding, and enquired as to, whether this Council, its licence holders and, or, Private Hire Operators (PHO) would be jointly-responsible in ensuring licensed vehicles are fully-compliant in respect to insurance.

The Interim Licensing Team Leader stated that the added cost implication would ultimately, and necessarily, have to be subsidised by the licence holder and that licence holders ought to be made aware of the same. He advised that although there was a duty incumbent upon this Council, as the Licensing Authority, to ensure its licensed vehicles are appropriately-insured, that responsibly is equally borne primarily by individual licence holders (as policyholders) and secondarily by PHO’s.

Councillor J Kaufman enquired as to what the adopted practice was by other local Licensing Authorities in Leicester/shire and, as such, whether a six-month motor insurance certificate option could be offered by way of compromise.

The Interim Licensing Team Leader advised that, as far to his knowledge, the majority of other local Licensing Authorities in Leicester/shire (including North West Leicester District Council) do accept a temporary cover note upon the understanding that a 12-month motor insurance certifies shall be provided. It was, however, reported that a small number of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23