Basingstoke & Dean Borough Council Licensing Committee Meeting

Apologies were received from Councillor Tom.

Councillor Taylor was replaced by Councillor Mummalaneni.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no urgent matters.

The minutes of the meeting held on the 4 July 2022 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Licensing Team Leader introduced the report which provided the Committee with an overview of the work undertaken by the Licensing service over the preceding twelve months, an update on existing projects and policies and an overview of future proposals.

Resolved: The Committee notes the report.

The Chair introduced the report which informed the Committee of the outcome of the public consultation on the draft Charity Collections Policy.

Resolved: The Committee

·       Adopts the Charity Collections Policy

·       Authorises the Head of Environment and Community Services to make minor administrative amendments to the policy.

The Chair Introduced the report which updated the Committee in relation to the amendments to the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy in line with the Council’s implementation plan approved in February 2021.

The Committee discussed the report and made the following comments:

·       Raised the issue of people entering the wrong vehicle accidently due to unclear signage. The Regulatory Services Manager advised that the door signs would be retained for that purpose.

·       Acknowledged that the new plates were self-adhesive and used less plastic, could be posted out to save the drivers from having to collect them from the Offices and saved on Officer processing time.

·       Concern was raised in relation to the proposal to make card payments mandatory and stated that it might also result in the refusal to take cash payments.

·       It was stated that there would be a cost implication for the drivers in allowing card payments.

·       Some members felt that the reduction of cash in taxis was much safer for the drivers.

·       Raised the issue that drivers would also need to purchase printers to provide a receipt. TheRegulatory Services Manager responded that it was not necessary as the drivers could provide an electronic or a handwritten receipt.

·       Suggested that the policy be amended to state that “card and cash payments are mandatory”.

Resolved: The Committee:

• approves the removal of the requirement for private hire vehicles to display a front plate.

• approves the removal of the requirement for the rear licence plate on a licensed vehicle to be displayed on a mount.

• approves the addition of a condition for mandatory card payments being available in all licenced vehicles.

The Licensing Team Leader advised that the fees and charges report would be bought to the February meeting and that the team would be running a series of vehicle enforcement checks in the run up to the Christmas period.