Agenda and draft minutes

You are invited to declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests in matters appearing on the agenda, and the nature of that interest.

You are also invited to disclose any dispensation in relation to any registerable and/or non-registerable interests that have been granted to you in respect of any matters appearing on the agenda.

Please complete the Declarations of Interests card available at the meeting and return it to the Democratic Services Officer before leaving the meeting.

There were no declarations or dispensation reported.

The Committee will be requested to pass the following resolution:

Resolved that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and having applied a public interest test as defined in Part 2 of Schedule 12A of the Act, the press and public 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 to the Act.

It was agreed that the exclusion resolution be passed.

The Committee received a report which outlined the background to an appeal by Mr S following the immediate revocation of his Private Hire Drivers Licence.

Mr S’s representative had submitted a letter to the Committee asking for the matter to be adjourned in order to wait for further information to become available.

The Committee stated they had no objections to the adjournment.

It was agreed that Mr S’s appeals be adjourned until February 2022.

The Committee received a report which outlined the background to an appeal by Mr M against the decision of the Authority to refuse his application for his Private Hire Vehicle to be licensed to carry 5 passengers on the grounds that the Licensing Authority was not satisfied the vehicle was suitable to transport more than 4 passengers.

Mr B attended the meeting and brought his vehicle for inspection by the Committee.

A Licensing Officer presented the report to the Committee which included relevant information from the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.

Members asked questions of the Licensing Officer.  The Committee then inspected the vehicle.

Mr M then addressed the Committee and answered questions from Members.

Following a summing up from the Licensing Officer and Mr M, all parties left the meeting to enable consideration of the matter to be undertaken in private.

The options available to the Committee were:

·         Uphold the appeal and agree for the licence to permit 5 passengers; or

·         Dismiss the appeal and agree with the decision for the vehicle to be licensed for the transport of up to 4 passengers..

Resolved that (1) Mr L’s appeal be dismissed and the licence not permit the transport of 5 passengers on the grounds of customer comfort.