Agenda and minutes

            The minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2014 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

            The Committee considered a request from elements of the taxi trade to extend by one year the two year Moratorium which related to the maximum age limits of Licensed vehicles. The Moratorium was previously agreed by the Committee to take effect from 19th March 2012 and would expire on 19^th March 2014.

            It was noted that the current vehicle age policy was adopted by the Committee on 19^th March 2007 (Minute REG23) and was re-considered when the Moratorium was introduced. Age limits relating to Licensed Hackney Carriages and Private hire vehicles were currently based upon the expiry of the licence extant on the date that the following vehicle ages are arrived at:

Saloons Estates and MSV’s          Maximum age 8 years

MPV Style vehicles                         Maximum age 12 years

Purpose Built vehicles                    Maximum age 16 years

            In each of the above cases the minimum age of vehicles has been set at 3 years prior to the maximum age for the relevant category of vehicle. The minimum age policy was adopted on 1^st July 2013.

            The request to the Committee was submitted by APEC and was in two parts:

1.    to permanently extend by one year the maximum age of all vehicles and an equivalent extension of the minimum age of all vehicles; and

2.    a one year temporary extension to the existing moratorium with immediate effect. This would not require consultation.

Members were advised that no detailed reasons had been provided by APEC in support of its request, however the underlying reason was the same as when the moratorium was introduced, namely the state of the economy and the financial problems being experienced by the trade.

The Committee considered the request and took into consideration additional comments and representations on the matter.

RESOLVED: That the requests to: 1. permanently extend by one year the maximum and minimum age of all vehicles; and 2. to extend by one year the two year Moratorium which related to the maximum age limits of Licensed vehicles, be refused.

PART II

In this case the Board has a discretion to exclude the press and public and, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, it is RECOMMENDED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, having been satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

The Board considered:

(1)       whether Members of the press and public should be excluded from the meeting of the Board during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be considered, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972; and

(2)       whether the disclosure of information was in the public interest, whether any relevant exemptions were applicable and whether, when applying the public interest test and exemptions, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed that in disclosing the information.

            RESOLVED: That as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Case No. 689

The Committee considered a request for an exemption from age restrictions on licensed Hackney Carriage as set out in Halton Borough Council conditions 2.1.2 (conditions adopted 19 March 2007).

            RESOLVED: That

1.    the application be refused; and

2.    the Operational Director Legal and Democratic in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee be authorised to determine any further applications for exemption from (or relaxation of or waiver of) the Council’s policy on the maximum/minimum ages of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles.