Issue - meetings

The Team Manager (Licensing and Environmental Protection) presented the report.

She explained that the current Policy on Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Standards for Drivers, Vehicles and Operators was agreed by Cabinet in December 2018. At the time the policy was prepared it was known that there was likely to be a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in Bath, and that taxi vehicles would be required to be compliant. The CAZ policy had developed since 2018 with an outline business case and a final business case, which had been approved last month. Concessions and exemptions had been introduced to the policy to mitigate its immediate impact on certain groups, including an exemption from CAZ charges for wheelchair-accessible taxis until 31 December 2020, giving them an additional two years to achieve compliance. The Cabinet had agreed the business case for this in January of this year, prior to its submission to the Joint Air Quality Unit for formal approval, which could be given sometime in February. The Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Licensing Standards needed to be amended to make them consistent with the CAZ policy. There were about 30 wheelchair-accessible taxi vehicles in Bath, of which about 10 were already CAZ-compliant.

Members agreed that the proposed amendment was reasonable and necessary and RESOLVED:

1.  To endorse the proposed amendment to the Policy which reflects the concession that wheelchair-accessible licenced vehicles are exempt from charge to entering the CAZ until 31 December 2022.

2.  To recommend that the amended policy, together with any responses to a further period of consultation with the taxi trade, be referred to Cabinet for ratification, thereby ensuring that the Policy and the CAZ scheme are in alignment.