A period not exceeding three minutes is allowed for the presentation of a petition or deputation provided that no such petition or deputation is in relation to:
· Matters relating to individual Council Officers, or
· Matters relating to current or pending legal proceedings
Minutes:
51.1 Mr Zeya Ahmed, Chair of Gloucester Hackney Carriage Association (GHCA) stated the GHCA had worked closely with the Council over many years to resolve any issues as they arose and that he was disappointed that the same had not been possible in respect of the decision to make both private hire and hackney carriage drivers retake their driving test every 10 years, including existing drivers. He advised that he considered the consultation to be flawed and did not accept the results. He explained the GHCA had its own processes in place to deal with disciplinary matters and therefore considered the new policy to be prejudiced against drivers of good standing. He stated that the GHCA had lost confidence in the Chair of the Licensing and Enforcement Committee and asked the Council to reconsider the decision or face legal action.
51.2 Councillor James (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economy) expressed disappointment in the personal remarks made and stated that, while he appreciated the views of drivers and the GHCA, the decision had been taken some time ago and was agreed on a cross-party basis following appropriate consultation. A number of drivers had already taken the test, therefore it would not be appropriate to consider rescinding the decision. He noted that the general public were supportive of the new policy and he encouraged the GHCA to continue working with the Council in the interests of the City and its residents.