Agenda item - Hackney Carriage Waiting List Conditions

Report of the Director of Public Health (copy attached)

20.1    The Committee considered a report of the Director of Public Health seeking to remove some restrictions which currently applied to applicants on the Hackney Carriage Waiting List.

20.2    The Hackney Carriage Officer, Martin Seymour explained that the Council currently operated a restricted numbers policy for hackney carriage vehicles with a managed growth of 5 additional plates issued on an annual basis in May. Any additional licences issued were issued in accordance with the conditions attached to the Brighton & Hove City Council Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence Waiting List.

20.3    It was proposed to remove the conditions of entry on to the Hackney Carriage Waiting list that required an applicant to:

(a) reside within 5 miles of the Council boundary;

(b) have held a Brighton and Hove hackney carriage driver licence or a Brighton & Hove private hire driver licence for at least 12 months immediately prior to the date of application; and

(c) be working full time in the hackney carriage or private hire trade based in Brighton and Hove at the time of application.

20.4    Currently, additional plates were offered to applicants on the waiting list in order of priority determined by the number of credit points (years) on which the applicant had applied to be included on the list. Currently where two or more applicants had the same number of credit points they were offered to drivers in order of priority by the date of issue of their first hackney carriage or private hire driver licence and applicants living in Brighton & Hove.

20.5    Councillor Hyde enquired why a distance of 5 miles of the city boundary had been chosen and the Hackney Carriage Officer, Martin Seymour explained that generally preference as given to those living in or near the city, they were also likely to have a greater level of local knowledge.

20.6    Councillor C Theobald asked whether the distance of 5 miles had been agreed with the trade and it was confirmed that it had.

20.7    Councillors Marsh and Lepper were in agreement that the current restrictions on numbers should remain in place until/unless the results of a review suggested they be revisited. In terms of distance however, they considered that consideration could be given to applying this more flexibly in future bearing in mind that the high costs of renting or buying a property in the city were such that many of those working in the city had no option other than to live outside its boundaries and commute in.

20.8    Councillor Robins concurred in this stating that a number of people who had family ties within his ward found themselves having to live further out. Councillor Robins referred to the close proximity of the boundaries of East and West Sussex to certain areas of the city. He sought clarification as to whether there were restrictions in terms of drivers across these boundaries and whether either of those authorities operated similar distance criteria.

20.8    Councillor Rufus was in agreement with all that had been said, whilst also being of the view that it was important not to “open up” trade in the city to those who had scant knowledge of it, he had concerns in respect of recommendation (c).

20.9    Councillors Hyde and C Theobald considered that application of a 10 mile radius rather than a 5 mile radius could be better.

20.10  Councillor Kitcat considered that if the trade considered that a 5 mile distance was appropriate that the Committee should be mindful of that.

20.11  RESOLVED – That the Committee approve the proposed amended conditions for entry on the Hackney Carriage Waiting List set out in Appendix A to the report.