Agenda item - Consultation on reforming the law of taxi and private hire services

Report of Head of Regulatory Services, Planning and Public Protection (copy attached)

8.1       The Committee considered a report of the Head of Planning and Public Protection in relation to the consultation of reforming the law of taxi and private hire services.

8.2             RESOLVED – That Committee endorses a response to the Law Commission that local authorities

·        should be allowed to retain the power restrict numbers of hackney carriages which is current licensing policy;

·        should be allowed to set distinctive local vehicle standards such as livery (provisional proposal 34);

·        should have comprehensive powers to set taxi fares for consumer protection (provisional proposal 43);

·        should be allowed to set standards for drivers, such as topographical knowledge testing for private hire drivers, (Q27);

·        have adequate powers to control cross border hiring (1.15 of summary);

and this local authority would support any measures that would assist disabled passengers (Q57/63).