Agenda and minutes

            The Committee considered an information report from two of the responsible authorities on issues arising from the carrying out of the Creamfields Event in August 2018. The reports were from Cheshire Constabulary and the Council’s Environmental Health section.

            Members were advised that the purpose of the report was to present the facts from the viewpoint of these responsible authorities who have now dealt with a number of events.

            It was previously agreed by the Chairman of the Committee that neither the Police nor Environmental Health would need to attend the meeting.

            RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Although not having an interest in the following item, in order to avoid any allegation of bias, Cllr S Nelson took no part in the debate or the decision and left the Chamber.

            Michael Pile who is the holder of the Private Hire Operator Licence for Airport Transfer Widnes attended the Committee to request that one of the pre-conditions for a Single Status Drivers Licence namely the requirement for the ‘Local Area’ section of the Taxi Knowledge Test (Section 1) would not apply to their drivers.

            Mr Pile advised the Committee that the type of business they were undertaking was airport transfers type of work only and that the drivers of his vehicles would never be just a ‘taxi driver’.

            All work would be booked well in advance rather than the immediate response work associated with ordinary private hire work.

            It was considered that Section 1 of the Taxi Knowledge Test (Local Area) was necessary for all standard taxi work.

            RESOLVED: That

1.    the request be granted in that drivers employed by Airport Transfers Widnes  would not be required to undertake Part 1 of the Taxi Knowledge Test (Local area); and

2.      in future any similar applications be approved in principle and be determined by the Licensing Manager.

PART II

In this case the Board has a discretion to exclude the press and public and, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, it is RECOMMENDED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, having been satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

The Committee considered:

(1)  Whether Members of the press and public should be excluded from the meeting of the Board during consideration of the following items of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be considered, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972; and

(2)  Whether the disclosure of information was in the public interest, whether any relevant exemptions were applicable and whether, when applying the public interest test and exemptions, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed that in disclosing the information.

RESOLVED: That as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed that in disclosing the information, members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business in accordance with Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Case:  No 720

            RESOLVED: That the Single Status Drivers Licence be granted subject to the application process being completed.