Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 7 July 2021.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 7 July 2021 were approved as a correct record.

Councillors and officers to declare any interests which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

Councillors and Officers were invited to declare any interest that they had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

To report any urgent action taken under the Constitution since the last meeting of the Committee.

No urgent decisions were reported.

Members of the public are invited to put questions to the Chair and members of the Committee on any matters within the powers and duties of the Committee, subject to the exclusions set out in the Code of Practice. (Questions must be submitted prior to the commencement of the meeting on the cards provided.  These are available at the meeting).

No public questions were submitted.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director (Place) & Deputy Chief Executive.

This report asks Members to approve the recommendations relating to Stage 1 of the Greater Manchester Minimum Licensing Standards for Taxi and Private Hire drivers, operators and local authorities.

The Committee is recommended to give approval to the package of recommendations detailed in Section 5 of the report.

Officer contact: Sarah Tooth on 0161 474 4176 or email: sarah.tooth@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director (Place) & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which provided asked Members to approve the recommendations relating to Stage 1 of the Greater Manchester Minimum Licensing Standards for Taxi and Private Hire drivers, operators and local authorities.

RESOLVED - The Committee

(i)           Noted the endorsement of the Stage 1 recommendations by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on 10^th September 2021.

(ii)          Approved the adoption of the new policy on DBS criminal records checks in terms increasing the frequency of checks and requiring compulsory sign-up for drivers to the DBS update service.

(iii)         Agreed to retain the Council’s current policy on medical examinations for drivers and to relax the requirement for 5 yearly checks after an initial medical assessment until the age of 45. This is in line with medical requirements for Bus and HGV drivers.

(iv)        Agreed to retain the Council’s current policy on driver knowledge tests.

(v)          Agreed to adopt the new policy on the assessment of an applicant’s knowledge of spoken   and written English.

(vi)         Retain the Council’s current policy on driving proficiency tests for applicants whilst noting a new provider.

(vii)       Agreed to adopt the new policy on driver training.

(viii)      Agreed to adopt the dress code policy for taxi and private hire drivers.

(ix)         Agreed in principle to adopting a policy for drug and alcohol testing of drivers subject to content and final approval being agreed at a later date. This will allow the policy to be developed and consultation to commence before being brought back to Members at a later date.

(x)          Agreed a revised set of private hire driver licence conditions which will be consistent across Greater Manchester.

(xi)         Agreed a revised set of private hire operator licence conditions which will be consistent across Greater Manchester.

(xii)      Agreed to adopt the policy on criminal record checks on private hire operators and their staff who have access to booking records.

(xiii)     Agreed a common standard across Greater Manchester for the submission of applications in terms of timescales for determination.

(xiv)     Endorsed proposals for officers to develop a common enforcement approach across Greater Manchester so that the standards can be applied consistently by each Licensing Authority.

(xv)      Endorsed a common methodology for the setting of licensing fees across Greater Manchester, to ensure that administration and enforcement costs are recovered consistently by each Licensing Authority.

(xvi)     Retain and strengthen the Council’s current position on Members receiving relevant and timely licensing training, to allow them to make effective decisions in line with relevant legislation, practise and guidance.

(xvii)    Agreed to a review of how the Council makes urgent safeguarding decisions, to ensure that there is always the appropriate and available governance in place to facilitate immediate action against a licence on the grounds of public safety.

(xviii)   Agreed to allow officers to further explore the potential benefits in the introduction of an Excellence in Licensing Award.

(xix)     Bring into force all revised and new policies from 1^st December 2021.