Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Jane Bell, John Rainsbury, Paul Wharton-Hardman and Jacqui Mort.

Councillor Margaret Smith was in attendance as substitute for Councillor John Rainsbury and Councillor Martin attended the meeting virtually.

Members are requested to indicate at this stage in the proceedings any items on the agenda in which they intend to declare an interest. Members are reminded that if the interest is a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (as defined in the Member’s Code of Conduct) they must leave the room for the whole of that item. If the interest is not a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, but is such that a member of the public could reasonably regard it as being so significant that it is likely that it would prejudice their judgement of the public interest (as explained in the Code of Conduct) then they may make representations, but then must leave the meeting for the remainder of the item.

There were no declarations of interest.

Minutes of the last meeting held Tuesday, 8 March 2022 are attached to be agreed as a correct record for signing by the Chair.

Resolved: (Unanimously)

That the minutes of the last meeting be agreed as a correct record for signing by the Chair, subject to the amendment of the attendance list to include Councillor Margaret Smith.

Report of the Director of Planning and Developent will be to follow.

The committee considered a report of the Director of Planning and Development which sought to provide feedback on the consultation carried out in response to the intended policy amendments, with regards to the age of vehicles licensed by the authority.

The Licensing Manager explained that the report had previously been presented to committee which advised that two sections of the Licensing Policy were due for renewal: the Vehicle Age Policy and Licensing of Hackney Carriage Vehicles.

In addition to the consultation, a further consultation was held for two weeks as Officer’s felt the need to consult the trade for their views on granting exemptions from the euro 6 rule (within Option 4), specifically relating to vehicles that currently do not meet the proposed rating, but need to be licensed to complete specific types of work such as special needs transport vehicles.

The proposed amendments to the Vehicle Age Policy had been for consultation, and all drivers and operators received a copy of the consultation to complete. 60 responses were received:

·         Option 1, Keep as it is – 45 responses

·         Option 2, Reduce all vehicles to the same age (4 and 8 years) – 0 responses

·         Option 3, Have a blanket policy for all vehicles with 5 years on and 10 years off the fleet – 3 responses

·         Option 4, Reduce all vehicles to 4 and 8 years. With an option of an extension for non-polluting vehicles that conform to a certain euro rating – 12 responses.

The Licensing Manager explained that of the 45 responses received for Option 1, 39 of those were received from one operator who solely used older transit type vehicles to perform school contract work, and would benefit from keeping this type of vehicle licensed until they are 12 years old.

The Licensing Manager advised members that Officer’s preference was Option 4, which would help the authority to meet their clean air zone commitments. Providing an incentive of being able to licence a vehicle for longer providing it meets a certain euro rating criteria for lower Co2 levels would help to create a fleet of low polluting vehicles.

Members agreed that Option 4 was preferred and commented on the lack of current infrastructure for electric and hybrid vehicles and agreed that the cost of vehicles were currently beyond the price range of the driver’s. Members hoped that the affordability and availability of electric vehicles would improve within the next three years.

Members noted that the Vehicle Age Policy was due for renewal in 2019 and had only been brought for renewal now and expressed concern that implementing the policy for a further three years would hinder the Council’s ambition of being carbon neutral by 2030. Members asked if the policy could be considered on as a rolling programme with the policy being brought back before committee in June 2023. In response, the Licensing Manager agreed that this could be added to the Licensing Service Business Plan for April 2023 – April 2024.

The Licensing Manager presented  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.