Agenda item

Presentation on the Consultation of Draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.

Also included for information is the report to the Executive on 18 October 2022.

Considered – Presentation of Dean Henderson, Head of Safer Communities, Harrogate BC, Sharon Cousins, Licensing Manager, Selby DC and Mark Heaton, Senior Licensing Officer, Ryedale DC.

Some of the key points highlighted in the presentation are as summarised below:

·       The aim of the Licensing workstream has been to ensure that the new administrative area has a safe and legal licensing service at the commencement of the new council and fulfils its statutory duties.

·       The draft policy currently out to public consultation has been put together in conjunction with the member working group, which included councillors from across the county who have lots of experience sitting on Licensing Committees

·       It is hoped that by mid-February, the policy will go to the NYCC Executive and then onto the County Council for approval.

·       The new policy will create one single hackney carriage zone for the whole of North Yorkshire, aiming to increase the availability of hackney carriages and customer choice. The single zone will provide consistency for the public and will assist in reducing dead mileage for drivers.

·       Evidence from other unitary authorities indicates that any swamping of areas is likely to level out over time as market forces take effect and supply flexes to meet demand, ultimately providing a better service for users.

·       An open market approach should increase the availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and help maintain a mixed fleet.

There followed a discussion, the key points of which are summarised below:

·       Following a concern about the ten-year vehicle limit for renewal applications set out in the draft policy, it was noted that this may be able to be looked out again in the future by the Licensing sub-committee.

·       A query was raised about the standards required for executive vehicles and the requirements for the wearing of seatbelts.

·       The consideration of fees and charges for hackney and private hire vehicles will be considered separately to the policy decision.

·       It was asked why the mandatory installation of CCTV cameras in vehicles is not included in the draft policy.

·       The requirements for a practical driving assessment and what a North Yorkshire local knowledge test for new drivers would look like for applicants.

Following this, a snapshot of the consultation responses received to date was given to members.

Resolved – That the presentation be noted.