Agenda item - Licence fees 2024/2025

RESOLVED:

That Committee:

1. Approved the following licence fees for 2024/25:

· Taxi Licence fees - as set out in Appendix 1.

· Sex Entertainment Venues and Sex Establishments fees – as set out in Appendix 2.

· Street Trading fees – as set out in Appendix 2.

· All Gambling Act 2005 fees – as set out in Appendix 2.

· Body piercing – as set out in Appendix 2.

· All Animal Activity Licences fees - as set out in Appendix 3.

A list of agreed fees for 2023/24 and proposed fees for 2024/25 is included in

Appendices 1-3.

Note: If the above recommendations are not agreed, or if the committee wishes to amend the recommendations, then the item will normally need to be referred to the Strategy, Finance & City Regeneration Committee meeting on 9 February 2024 to be considered as part of the overall 2024/25 budget proposals. This is because the 2024/25 budget proposals are developed on the assumption that fees and charges are agreed as recommended and any failure to agree, or a proposal to agree different fees and charges, will have an impact on the overall budget proposals, which means it needs to be dealt with by Strategy, Finance & City Regeneration Committee as per the requirements of the constitution. This does not fetter the committee’s ability to make recommendations to Strategy, Finance & City Regeneration Committee.

16.1 The Chair invited Jim Whitelegg to introduce the report starting on page 19 of the Agenda.

16.2 Councillor Pickett was informed thorough benchmarking exercises had taken place to confirm the percentage increases in fees.

16.3 Councillor McGregor was informed that irrespective of how much a business earns, license fees can only be calculated on the amount it costs to administer the License.

16.3 Councillor Theobald was informed that the vehicle transfer fee has risen because the time taken to process the transfer fee is the same amount of time to process the application.

16.4 Councillor Davis was informed that the figures were circulated with the trade prior to committee and any comments were forwarded to Democratic Services, and that the next Taxi Forum was due to go ahead on 18 January 2024.

RESOLVED:

That Committee:

1. Approved the following licence fees for 2024/25:

· Taxi Licence fees - as set out in Appendix 1.

· Sex Entertainment Venues and Sex Establishments fees – as set out in Appendix 2.

· Street Trading fees – as set out in Appendix 2.

· All Gambling Act 2005 fees – as set out in Appendix 2.

· Body piercing – as set out in Appendix 2.

· All Animal Activity Licences fees - as set out in Appendix 3.

A list of agreed fees for 2023/24 and proposed fees for 2024/25 is included in

Appendices 1-3.

Note: If the above recommendations are not agreed, or if the committee wishes to amend the recommendations, then the item will normally need to be referred to the Strategy, Finance & City Regeneration Committee meeting on 9 February 2024 to be considered as part of the overall 2024/25 budget proposals. This is because the 2024/25 budget proposals are developed on the assumption that fees and charges are agreed as recommended and any failure to agree, or a proposal to agree different fees and charges, will have an impact on the overall budget proposals, which means it needs to be dealt with by Strategy, Finance & City Regeneration Committee as per the requirements of the constitution. This does not fetter the committee’s ability to make recommendations to Strategy, Finance & City Regeneration Committee.