Agenda and minutes

To elect a Member to act as Chair of the meeting

Decision

That Councillor Joy Andrews be elected as Chair for the duration of the meeting.

(Councillor Andrews in the Chair)

There were no apologies for absence.

All Members are invited to declare at this point any interests they have in items appearing on this agenda, including the nature of those interests.

For the purpose of transparency Councillor Joy Andrews and Councillor Tim Grogan declared that they knew the applicant having considered previous applications.

To confirm the procedure to be followed at the meeting.

The decision:

The Sub Committee agreed the procedure for the meeting as outlined by the Chair.

To receive a report from the Corporate Director of Environment.

The Corporate Director – Environment asked the Sub-Committee to consider whether to grant an application for a hackney carriage vehicle that did not comply with the standard criteria as stated in the Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy.

The sub-committee considered the following:

·       The meeting papers, including a report from the Senior Licensing Enforcement Officer,

·       Oral evidence from the Senior Licensing Enforcement Officer,

·       A physical inspection of vehicle 051E by the sub-committee,

·       Oral evidence from the applicant

In reaching their decision the sub-committee gave the following factors significant weight:

·       The age of the vehicle

·       The vehicle’s mileage

·       The detail and chronology of the vehicle’s mechanical inspections

·       The applicant’s evidence regards his ownership of and his mechanical maintenance of the vehicle

·       The cleanliness and presentation of the vehicle

·       The licensing authority’s duties to ensure the safety of vehicle users and the general public by the operation of hackney carriage services

·       No complaints / convictions recorded against the applicant

Decision

The decision of the sub-committee was to GRANT the application to licence hackney carriage vehicle number 051E for a period of twelve months, with one additional condition that the vehicle be subject to a mechanical inspection three times per year.