Hart Borough Council Licensing Committee Meeting

The minutes of 6 June 2023 were agreed and confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Proposed by Cllr Forster; Seconded by Cllr Clarke

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman had no announcements.

Members of the Committee were reminded that when the tariff was revised in 2022, there was a request for an annual review. Since the revised fares were introduced there had been no objections raised by either members of the public or hackney carriage drivers.

Members noted:

·       the current tariff for Hackney Carriage fares

·       national rates for a 2-mile journey, in which Hart is the 32nd most expensive authority out of 340 authorities

·       comparison with adjacent authorities, which ranged between £8.20 (Hart and Wokingham) and £7.40 for a 2-mile journey

Members discussed:

·       The options available – as outlined in the officer’s report

·       The proposed recommendation, which was to maintain the tariffs which were set in 2022, and to review annually

·       Whether there should be a different rate for electric vehicles as an incentive for these to be purchased. However, it was noted that EVs incurred other increased costs, and that having different charges for different types of vehicles could cause confusion amongst the public

·       That whilst fuel prices had dropped since last year, they were slowly increasing again

·       The reduction in fuel prices had been offset by the cost of living increases in other areas

It was noted there had been a very small number of complaints relating to the cost of Hackney Carriages in Hart district against those in Basingstoke and Deane, primarily from residents in the boundary wards. However, it was noted that the Hackney Carriage fares do not apply to trips which cross a district administrative boundary.

Proposed by: Cllr Forster; Seconded by: Cllr Woods

Unanimously agreed

Decision:

The Committee agreed:

·       to maintain the current Hackney Carriage tariff, and

·       to continue ongoing annual reviews of the Hackney Carriage tariff, or sooner if required, whilst monitoring external factors.