To receive any questions from members of the public provided that a question does not relate to:
· Matters which are the subject of current or pending legal proceedings, or
· Matters relating to employees or former employees of the Council or comments in respect of individual Council Officers
Minutes:
1) Mr Chas Rodgers
Mr Rodgers stated that he was the longest serving licensed Hackney Carriage Driver in the City. He referred Members to his written comments on the Revised Policy and Conditions for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing.
He believed that the standards required of licensed drivers had fallen and particularly with regard to the provision to allow applicants to have three DVLA points on their licence when applying for a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Drivers Licence.
He asked if the Committee had looked at the offences that would result in the award of three DVLA points and asked if they would condone this behaviour in Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers licensed by the City Council.
He noted that the only requirement now was to take and pass the Enhanced Driving Assessment and there was no proof that an applicant had been a good driver over a period of time.
He believed that applicants should hold a clean British driving licence and that any Private Hire Driver wishing to become a licensed Hackney Carriage Driver should have a clean licence.
He noted that when he first applied for a Hackney Carriage Drivers Licence the minimum age for applicants was 27 years. He supported the proposal to raise the minimum age from 18 to 21 years.
In conclusion he stated that there was no justification for granting licences to applicants with DVLA points.
2) Mr Matthew Stevens
Mr Stevens, a licensed Street Trader in the City for 26 years, wished to raise some points regarding the revised Street Trading Policy.
He employed his three daughters and expressed concerns that the requirement for staff to wear name badges would place them at risk in a time of increasing incidence of violent crime.
He stated that there was no similar requirement for Market traders or pedlars and he noted that City Council Officers walking through the City to meetings tended to hide their identification.
He questioned the increase in Street Trading Fees and noted that although the policy was identical to neighbouring authorities the proposed fees were up to five times higher in the City for what was essentially the same service.
3) Mr Zdravko Yakimov
Mr Yakimov, a licenced Private Hire Driver in the City, stated that he had made representations in respect of the Revised Policy and Conditions for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing.
He disagreed with the proposal to increase the minimum age for licence holders to 21 years and the proposal to reduce the permitted number of DVLA licence points for new applicants to three. He believed that it was very easy to be caught speeding and incur three DVLA points.
He stated that applicants had to meet a lot of requirements in order to be granted a licence and the forty minute test should show that applicants were capable of doing what they had applied for. The enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks provided a form of check.
He believed that the 35 hour driver improvement courses were a better way to improve standards.
He believed that younger drivers should not be prevented from entering business.
He also believed that the behaviour of operators had a huge impact on the standards of drivers.