Agenda item - Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Driver Fees Additional Medical Advice

Report of the Executive Director of Environment, Development and Housing (copy attached).

7.1       The Committee considered a report of the Head of Planning and Public Protection setting out the proposed increase in licence fees for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers that had become necessary to fund additional time spent by the Council’s Medical Advisor to consider medicals and medical exemption requests.

7.2       The Hackney Carriage Officer, Mr Seymour explained that it was recommended by the Department of Transport that medical checks were made on all drivers at initial application and renewal. In common with other licensing authorities, the Council applied Group 2 medical standards, as applied by the DVLA to bus and lorry drivers, this was considered to be a necessary check to protect public safety.

7.3       The Head of Regulatory Services, Mr Nichols further explained that the general principle was that the Council was entitled to recover the full costs of administering the grant and renewal of licences through the licensing fees it received and that it should not knowingly set fees above those costs. It was anticipated that the proposed increases would cover costs for 2013-14 and that if the fees payable were by that level that there would be a budget deficit.

7.4       RESOLVED - That the Committee approves the following variation to licence fees:

            Hackney Carriage Driver fee from £51 to £57; and

 Private Hire Driver fee from £49 to £55 with effect from 1July 2013.