North Yorkshire Council
General Licensing and Registration Sub-Committee
Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, 17th July, 2024 commencing at 11.00 am.
Councillors Stephanie Duckett, Kevin Foster and Tim Grogan (Chair).
Officers present: Jade Reynolds, Regulatory Solicitor, Paula Bellwood, Licensing Enforcement Officer and Sharon Cousins, Area Licensing Manager
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Copies of all documents considered are in the Minute Book
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7 |
Election of Chair
The decision:
That Councillor Tim Grogan be elected as Chair for the duration of the meeting.
(Councillor Grogan in the Chair)
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8 |
Apologies for Absence
There were no apologies for absence.
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9 |
Disclosures of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
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10 |
Procedure for Meeting
The decision:
The Sub Committee agreed the procedure for the meeting as outlined by the Chair.
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11 |
Exclusion of the Press and Public
The decision:
That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public were excluded from the meeting during consideration of the item of business at minute no 6 on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act as the Panel was satisfied that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.
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12 |
Consideration of suitability to continue to hold a Private Hire Operator Licence, Private Hire Drivers licence and Private Hire Vehicle Licences
The Sub-Committee considered the report of the Corporate Director for the Environment which asked Members to determine whether an operator was a fit and proper person to continue to hold a Private Hire Operator Licence.
In making their decision, Members considered the content of the report and appendices, the verbal presentation by the Licensing Enforcement Officer on behalf of the licensing authority, the verbal presentation by the operator, a written statement provided by the operator on the day, the Council’s Taxi Licensing Policy and the statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards issued by the Department of Transport.
The Sub-Committee were disappointed to hear that the operator had not engaged with the Licensing Authority as they were required to do and emphasised the importance of the operator checks. However, it was noted that the operator had not been before the Sub-Committee in any adverse capacity and the Council had not received any complaints from members of the public or from the IPT services. Therefore, on balance, the Sub-Committee acknowledged the difficulties that the operator was currently experiencing and accepted the explanations provided.
Resolved:
That the operator was a fit and proper person to continue to hold a Private Hire Operator Licence, however Members requested that the Decision Notice act as a written warning as to their conduct.
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The meeting concluded at 12.08 pm.