Agenda item - Licence fees 2018/2019

Report of the Executive Director, Neighbourhoods, Communities and Housing (copy attached)

16.1    The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director of Neighbourhoods, Communities and Housing setting out for approval proposed licence fees and charges for 2018/19 relating to Street Trading, Sex Establishments and Sex Entertainment Licences, Gambling premises, taxi licensing and other licensing functions.

16.2    It was explained that in order to ensure that council tax payers were not subsidising work concerning licensing administration, income was raised by licence fees with the aim of covering the cost of administration of each regime within the constraints of regulation. Licence fees should not be used to raise surplus revenues. Officers had undertaken a further review of the way charges were calculated so that they were now based on the most recent detailed analysis of officer time in processing the different respective licences. The regulations applicable when setting fees was detailed as were the changes required to reflect changes in legislation and the outcome of relevant test cases.

16.3    Councillor Cobb sought clarification of how the figures set out had been arrived at given that some of the percentage increases arrived at seemed high, notwithstanding that she understood that the authority needed to ensure that council tax payers were not subsidising licensing administration.

16.4    Councillor Wares stated that whilst understanding the rationale for the proposed fees and generally supportive of it, he considered that the requirement for I year licence fees to increase by 20%, could be onerous, Councillor Simson concurred in that view. In answer to questions it was confirmed that this represented a very small number of  drivers and on that basis, the view of Members was that the recommendations should be amended to reflect this.

16.5    In answer to questions, the Legal Adviser to the Committee, Rebecca Sidell, confirmed that the report did not need to be referred directly to Council; however, the Committees’ decisions in respect of fees payable would be fed through to Full Council as part of the budget setting process.

16.6    In order to reflect the discussions which had taken place the Chair asked whether Members wished the first line of the officer recommendations to be amended and the first line deleted so that it now read:

            “Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence fee to increase by approximately 7%, all other fees to remain unchanged”. Members confirmed that was their wish and voted unanimously in agreement with the revised recommendations as set out below.

16.7    RESOLVED – That the Committee approves the following licence fees:

(i) Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence fee to increase by approximately 7%, All other fees to remain unchanged;

            (ii) Sex entertainment venues and sex establishments fees – fees remain unchanged;

            (iii) Street trading fees– remain unchanged; and

            (iv) All Gambling Act 2005 fees – remain unchanged.

A list of agreed fees for 2017-18 and proposed fees for 2018-19 are included in Appendices 1-and 2 to the report.