WEST LINDSEY DISTRICT COUNCIL

 

MINUTES of a Meeting of the Taxi and General Licensing Sub-Committee held in the Council Chamber at the Guildhall, Gainsborough on Thursday, 14 December 2006 at 6.30 pm.

 

 

Present :                              Councillor Gary Fenwick (In the Chair)

                                               Councillor Mel Starkey (Vice Chairman)

                                              

                                               Councillor Stuart Kinch

Councillor Irmgard Parrott

Councillor Ian Parsons

Councillor Kristan Smith

Councillor Chris Underwood-Frost

 

In Attendance :                   Community Safety Manager

                                               Senior Licensing Officer

                                               Senior Committee Administrator

 

Also in Attendance :         A member of the public

 

 

 

14     MINUTES

 

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Taxi and General Licensing Sub-Committee held on 26 July 2006 be signed as a correct record.

 

 
15     MEMBERS’ DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

 

Councillor Stuart Kinch declared a personal interest in report TGL.8 06/07 (Renewal of Street Trading Consents) as a regular user of the snack bar on the A57.

 

 

The Chairman was pleased to announce that the appeals to both the Magistrates and High Court against the Sub-Committee’s refusal to grant a hackney carriage/private hire driver’s licence had been dismissed and he was delighted that both Courts had upheld the unanimous decision of the Sub-Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

16     REVIEW OF THE GUIDANCE FOR LICENSING HACKNEY CARRIAGE AND PRIVATE HIRE DRIVERS

 

The Community Safety Manager confirmed that the existing guidance had been replicated from Home Office guidance and was in line with all other neighbouring authorities.

 

Members gave detailed consideration to the guidance and made the following observations/suggestions.

 

  • All references to gender should be neutral i.e. male/female
  • With regard to previous convictions, members requested that clarification be sought of the Legal Adviser/Policy Unit on whether reference to the age of applicants at the time of the offence could be included in the guidance.

 

At this point in the meeting it was agreed to suspend Council Procedure Rules to ask a question of the member of public present. 

 

He confirmed that he was a self employed taxi driver and had had no formal training.  He would welcome the introduction of some form of training/guidance for taxi drivers as he understood the majority of drivers in Gainsborough were in a similar position.

 

  • Officers to report back to the Sub-Committee on a more rigorous application process and whether training to support taxi drivers could be implemented.
  • With regard to paragraph (d) Drugs, the 5 years after detoxification treatment be reduced to 3 years.
  • The second and third sentences to be deleted under the heading “What is the Act?” of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
  • More up to date wording to replace ‘Borstal’ and ‘Detention centre’.
  • Details to be included on how criminal record checks on applicants from elsewhere in the EU and other overseas countries will be conducted.
  • Amend medical restrictions in relation to latest best practice on diabetes.

 

RESOLVED that officers seek clarification on the points raised above and report back to the Sub-Committee on an amended guidance.

 

 

17     EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC AND PRESS

 

                   RESOLVED that, under section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that  it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

 

18     LOCAL GOVERNMENT (MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS) ACT 1982 RENEWAL OF STREET TRADING CONSENTS (TGL.8 06/07)

 

Members considered the renewal, for a further 12 months, of the three annual Street Trading Consents granted by the Council.

 

It was proposed that in future years authority be delegated to the Community Safety Manager in conjunction with the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Sub-Committee, to renew the Street Trading Consents unless there had been a change of ownership or breach of the conditions attached to the Consents.  In such cases the renewal would be referred to the Sub-Committee for determination.

 

RESOLVED that :

 

(a)         the Street Trading Consents be renewed for a further 12 months in each case, subject to the Council’s usual conditions being attached to the Consents; and

 

(b)     authority be delegated to the Community Services Manager, in conjunction with the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Sub-Committee, to renew the Street Trading Consents in future years provided there had been no change of ownership or breach of conditions attached to the Consents.

 

 

The Chairman wished all those present a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

 

 

The meeting concluded at 8.23 pm.

 

 

 

 

Chairman