Agenda, decisions and minutes

Councillor Kevin Cuffley declared a non-pecuniary interest as the holder of a Private Hire driver’s licence.

Councillor Kevin Cuffley declared a non-pecuniary interest as the holder of a Private Hire driver’s licence.

The minutes of the meeting held on 4 November 2016, were agreed as a correct record of the meeting.

The Licensing Committee refused the request by Grantchester Parish Council for the street of Broadway in Grantchester, to be designated a Consent Street under The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. Members agreed the reasons for refusal were:

·         The committee took account of the representations made both in favour and against designation of Broadway as a Consent Street.

·         The committee considered that the public consultation had not demonstrated overriding reasons to support the Parish Council’s request.

·         No responsible authority had objected to pop-up food vans trading on Broadway.

·         The Committee took account of the representation made by the publican of the Blue Ball Inn, which stated that as the pub had a kitchen their intention was not to have a monthly pop-up food van and suggested that this may instead occur once every couple of months. The Committee also noted that it was indicated in the representation, that the last pop-up van on Broadway had been some time ago.

The committee considered the request by Grantchester Parish Council for Broadway in Grantchester, to be designated a Consent Street. This was so that trading could be controlled on the street. A Licensing Sub-Committee held on 3 July 2017 had agreed the outline request from the Parish Council, to consult on the matter. Following the consultation the Licensing Committee was being asked to make a final decision on this matter.

The Licensing Committee requested to see the original letter from the Parish Council, which set out their request for designation of the street. This was provided to the committee members during the meeting.

The committee considered the report and the following points were discussed:

·         Members noted that pop-up food vans were occasionally used by the Blue Ball pub on Broadway and that the pub was doing well. Reluctance to impose anything which may hinder the activities of the pub, was expressed. It was felt that designating Broadway could impact the pub and undermine its viability.

·         Members discussed whether, rather than making a formal decision either way, a watching brief should be kept on the situation for a year.

·         Members considered the written responses to the public consultation, noting that equal numbers had objected to the street being designated, as had supported the proposal. Taking this into account, members felt a change should not be imposed.

·         Myles Bebbington, Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing informed members that street traders had to apply to trade on a Consent Street. Until their application was considered, a street trader could continue trading on that street. Where a street trader parked and the times they could trade on the street, were examples of what could be controlled on a Consent Street. A street trader’s licence would be valid for one year on a Consent Street.

·         Members discussed the location of A- boards on Broadway, as pictured in the appendix to the report. They were informed by the Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing that a Licensing Officer had visited the site and found that the A-boards related to the activities of the pub and not to the pop-up street trading food van. The committee was therefore advised to disregard these photographs.

·         Some members felt that designation of the street would not achieve change, but would incur a cost to the Council. Members were informed of the potential costs to the Council if the street was designated, which included two adverts being required at a cost of £277 per advert.

·         Councillor Murfitt referred to the concerns of the parish council, which had been raised at the Licensing Sub-Committee which had taken place in July 2017. She informed the committee that one of their concerns had been of safety due to the pop-up food van parking on Broadway, which was a narrow road. She informed the committee that other concerns had been of food odours from the van and noise from a generator. The Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing advised the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

The Licensing Committee approved for consultation, the draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licensing policy and conditions, subject to the incorporation of the amendments proposed by the committee (details of which will be outlined in the minutes of the meeting).

Myles Bebbington, Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing, presented the new draft Taxi Licensing Policy and amended conditions of licensing for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles, drivers and operators. The committee was asked to review and agree this draft document before it was issued for consultation.

The committee reviewed the draft policy, firstly raising a number of points regarding grammar and punctuation. These would be fed back to the Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing, outside the meeting.

The use of CCTV in private hire and hackney carriages was discussed:

·         Concern was raised that the Council would be imposing significant barriers to entry with the potential introduction of CCTV and wheelchair access requirements.

·         Some members expressed support for the use of CCTV in private hire vehicles for the protection of both the customer and the driver.

·         As a woman, Councillor Betson spoke in support of having CCTV in both hackney carriage and private hire vehicles.

·         Members who had sat on licensing appeals sub-committees which had involved allegations from passengers against drivers of offences of a sexual nature, advised of the potential advantages of having CCTV in hackney carriage and private hire vehicles.

·         Members felt that if CCTV were to be installed in hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, signage should be clearly displayed inside, outside and in the back and front of all vehicles, so that passengers were aware of this. The Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing advised the committee that clear signage would be needed in order to comply with data protection.

·         Members advised that if the requirement for CCTV was implemented, the policy needed to reflect that when a passenger was in the taxi, CCTV should be running.

·         Councillor Cuffley as the holder of a private hire driver’s licence, expressed concern regarding the potential cost of CCTV, which would make the cost of getting a taxi licence high. Councillor Cuffley supported the use of CCTV in hackney carriages for the protection of the driver. He did not feel that CCTV was necessary in private hire vehicles given these vehicles were pre-booked and therefore the taxi company would have the passenger details.

The Head of Service for Environmental Health and Licensing advised that officers would carry out detailed research into what was available regarding the installation of CCTV in taxis, and the potential costs of this. He informed the committee that enquiries had been received from taxi firms wanting to install CCTV in their vehicles.

The committee voted on the principle of making CCTV a requirement in private hire and hackney carriage vehicles, with the majority voting in favour of this.

The display of driver identification was discussed. Committee members advised that passengers in private hire and hackney carriages, needed to be able to identify their driver without having to ask for their identification.

The committee was informed that:

·         The South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge City taxi knowledge test had been trialled for hackney carriage driver applications and officers intended to roll  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.