Agenda and minutes

            The Minutes of the meeting held on 29^th October 2019 having been circulated were signed as a correct record.

            The Committee received an update on the Crown Court decision on 4^th July 2019 and the progress of the Unmet Demand Survey. Immediately following the court case, a company called Jacobs were approached and shortly thereafter appointed to carry out the survey. Progress to date was explained to the Committee together with the next stages of the survey which were about to be undertaken. It was hoped that the Committee would receive a report at its March meeting on the outcome of the survey.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

            The Committee considered the report together with representations made by the UNITE trade union which had been received after the agenda had been printed. The Committee expressed their thanks for the trouble taken by UNITE in providing detailed comments on the matters before the Committee. The proposals had also been considered by the Taxi Consultative Group.

            The Committee recognised that there were negative as well as positive aspects of introducing this policy change a well as arguments for and against applying the policy only to private hire vehicles. However, the interests of the wheelchair travelling public and the need to increase, if possible, the number of fully wheelchair accessible vehicles were the prime objectives. Consequently it was unanimously recommended that the policy change should apply to both hackney carriage vehicles and private hire vehicles. The benefits applying to existing categories of fully wheelchair accessible vehicles would apply to rear loading fully wheelchair accessible vehicles where the wheelchair user is secured in a forward facing position only.  For the avoidance of doubt rear loading vehicles where the wheelchair user is secured in a rear facing position would continue to be banned.

RESOLVED:  That the Executive Board be recommended to:

1.    adopt  the policy changes detailed in this report relating to rear loading fully wheelchair accessible vehicles where the wheelchair user is secure in a forward facing position in respect of hackney carriage vehicles and private hire vehicles;

2.    give the Licensing Manager delegated authority to relax where appropriate for a period of 18 months from the date of grant of the first licence under this amended policy the Minimum Usable Luggage Space Requirement in respect of rear loading fully wheelchair accessible vehicles;

3.    Direct that the Licensing Manager report back to the Regulatory Committee on the impact of the amended policy as near as possible to the expiry 18 months from the date of grant of the first licence under this amended policy; and

4.    give the Licensing Manager delegated authority to set out and publish the Council’s various polices, terms, conditions and guidance on taxi and private hire matters as the Licensing Manager considers appropriate from time to time

            The Committee considered six changes to hackney carriage and private hire policy. These had all been discussed at the Taxi Consultative Group and had been the subject of positive comments from the UNITE trade union (apart from the matter described at 4.3 of the agenda). The only completely new proposal was the proposed introduction of a 10 year maximum age for tyres which was part of an initiative being promoted by the licensing authorities throughout the Liverpool City Region area. The Committee was advised that the 10 year maximum age for tyres applied to the Council’s own vehicles as a matter of practice but considered that a policy should apply generally rather than just for hackney carriage and private hire licensing.

RESOLVED:  That the Executive Board be recommended to:

1.    adopt as Council policy the six items set out in the agenda;

2.    consider adopting a policy imposing a 10 year maximum age for tyres on all Council vehicles; and

3.    consider adopting a policy requiring the Council to impose a 10 year maximum age policy as an additional condition in its transportation contracts.