Meeting

RECOMMENDED that the minutes of the Licensing Policy meeting held on 25 July 2022 be approved as a correct record.

Purpose

1.    To consider the responses to the public consultation which took place between the period 01 August and 31 October 2022.

2.    To consider the proposed amendments to the adopted statement of licensing policy for the control and supervision of the hackney carriage and private hire trades within Portsmouth ("the PCC policy") as set out in Appendix A of this report, having regard to the statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Transport in July 2020.

RECOMMENDED

1.    That the Licensing Committee considers the recommendations numbered (1) to (37) in the report attached as Appendix A and duly notes/determines amendments to the PCC policy as it considers appropriate.

2.    That the amendments to the policy will come into effect on 1 April 2023.

The 2016 adopted policy guidelines in respect of the general vehicle specifications (for both hackney carriages and private hire vehicles) state that vehicle licences will not be granted or renewed in circumstances where a vehicle has been “written off” for the purposes of the then industry recognised categories A, B, C and D. (Minute 9/2016 refers).

Since 2016 some proprietors have subsequently licensed vehicles which have been "written off/ salvaged" following technical examination by appropriately qualified persons. The council was initially unaware that a salvage marker had been placed on the V5 registration document issued by DVLA in respect of such vehicles. Affected proprietors have now asked for the committee to consider this policy directive in relation to both category S (structural repairs) and category N (non-structural repairs). They say that vehicles are now routinely written off for relatively "minor" damage and repairs due to excessive third-party costs such as temporary vehicle hire pending insurance assessment and examination.

Accordingly, the committee are asked to consider the following recommendation:

The Licensing Committee notes the current policy on salvaged vehicles and instructs the Licensing Manager to carry out a period of formal consultation with all interested parties and to report back with recommended good practice advice and policy guidance on the suitability or otherwise of licensing vehicles with either a category S or category N marker recorded.