Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on 21^st January 2009 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

The Committee considered a report from the responsible authorities on issues arising from carrying out the Creamfields Event 2008.

The Committee was advised that the Creamfields Events had taken place in August 2006 and 2007 and feedback on the events was presented to Members at the November 2008 meeting of the Regulatory Committee.

Members were advised that the purpose of the report was to present the facts from the viewpoint of the responsible authorities who had now had the opportunity of dealing with the three events.

It was noted that reports on the event had been received from Cheshire Police, Halton Borough Council Environmental Health – Noise Control Department, Halton Borough Council Environmental Health – Health and Safety Department and Warrington Borough Council Environmental Health Department.

The reports from the responsible authorities were set out in Appendix A to the report and the responsible authorities had been invited to attend the Committee.

Inspector Dodd and Inspector Pierce of Cheshire Police attended the meeting and summarised the views of Cheshire Constabulary in providing the planning and operation of the Creamfields 2008 Music Festival.

Mr. S. Baxter of Halton Borough Council’s Environmental Health Department gave an update on the Environmental Health aspects of the festival including noise, health and safety, food safety and standards.

Mr. P. Ramsden of Warrington Borough Council’s Environmental Health Department also attended the meeting to give an update on the operation of the festival from Warrington Borough Council’s viewpoint.

RESOLVED: That the reports from the responsible authorities be noted.

The Committee received a report which updated Members on the changes made to the Legal Services Licensing in Tables currently on the Council’s internet.

It was noted that at the Committee meeting on 18^th September 2006 Members were advised of a document relating to the various licences dealt with by Legal Services and resolved that the information as outlined be published on the Council’s website.

It was further noted that this document was updated and presented to Members at the meeting on 21^st January 2008 and had now been further updated again to reflect more recent changes.

The amended version of the Legal Services Licensing in Tables was presented to Members for consideration.

RESOLVED: That the amended information contained in the Legal Services Licensing in Tables be noted.

The Committee received a report which provided details of the outcome of a further consultation and provided options for the Committee to consider in relation to the review of the Council’s Qualifying Vehicles conditions in respect of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles.

It was noted that on 16^th June 2008 the Committee resolved to undertake a review of the Council’s Qualifying Vehicles conditions in respect of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles. The Taxi Consultative Group was consulted at its meeting on 10^th July 2008. The Group was briefed on the nature of Qualifying Vehicle conditions and asked for any recommendations to be produced by 31^st July 2008.

Representations relevant to the review were received from two members of the taxi trade. The representations were reported back to the Regulatory Committee on 24^th September 2008 and were set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

At the meeting on the 24^th September the Members resolved to accept the amendments (see Council Minute 13/2008) and requested that a number of issues be referred back to the Taxi Consultative Group for further consultation.

The issues for further consultation were front bench seats, seat configuration, passenger numbers and privacy glass. Arising out of the further consultations two representations were received and details were set out in the Appendix to the report.

It was noted that the challenge for the Committee was to approve a policy that was logically defensible. This would involve identifying the underlying principles on which any policy was to be based.

In the context of the issues there were two basic conflicting sets of principles for the Committee to consider. The first set was passenger comfort. The second set comprised of keeping travelling costs to a minimum, carbon footprint reduction and the general principle that if a vehicle was rated, using national standards, for a particular number of passengers they should be allowed to be used as taxis and private hire vehicles for those numbers of passengers (which was called the national standards principle).

The reason why these two sets of principles were contradictory was that the first set implied fewer passenger per vehicle whereas the second set implied more passengers per vehicle.

The report also outlined principles which were relevant to the privacy glass issue. 

The Committee considered that the optimum larger vehicle was the MPV type which did not have all forward facing seats.  The advantage for the trade in choosing such vehicles were (1) that longer vehicle age limits applied and (2) a larger number of passengers would be permitted.

RESOLVED: That

(1)    there should be no restrictions as to the use of front bench seats except where the use of front bench seats meant that the minimum standards set out in the vehicle licence conditions could not be met (e.g. where transmission tunnels obstructed passengers);

(2)   conditions relating to passenger numbers and seat configuration shall be those set out at paragraph 2.3 of Appendix 1 for Hackney Carriage Vehicles and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.