Issue - meetings

To consider the attached report of the Head of Regulatory Services.

The Head of Regulatory Services presented the report on the Hackney Carriage Fare Tariff Request for Increase.

Members were advised that the current tariff had been in place since 2012 and had not been reviewed since then. The Cinque Ports Hackney Carriage Federation had approached the council (as the licensing authority) to review the tariff and had presented a proposed table of maximum fares as part of this process. The council had undertaken a non-statutory consultation on the proposals which had received no responses from the taxi industry. The next stage in the process was to publish the statutory notice and if during the 14-day consultation period no objections were received then the new fare structure would be brought into effect.

Members considered the impact of the proposed tariff scheme and discussed the non-statutory consultation that had been undertaken prior to this point. The need to encourage low emission vehicles was identified and the Head of Regulatory Services advised that the council was considering ways of encouraging operators to move to hybrid vehicles.

It was proposed by Councillor S H Beer, duly seconded by Councillor H M Williams, and

RESOLVED:       That it be recommended to Cabinet that Decision CAB58 be endorsed as followed:

(a)  That the table of fares presented by the Cinque Ports Hackney Carriage Federation and set out at Appendix B to the report be approved.

(b)  That the Head of Regulatory Services be authorised, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Licensing and Community, to consider any objections received during the formal statutory consultation period and to take all necessary steps to bring the table of fares into operation.

To consider the attached report of the Head of Regulatory Services.

Responsibility: Portfolio Holder for Transport, Licensing and Community

It was agreed:

(a)   That the table of fares presented by the Cinque Ports Hackney Carriage Federation and set out at Appendix B to the report be approved.

(b)   That the Head of Regulatory Services be authorised, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Licensing and Community, to consider any objections received during the formal statutory consultation period and to take all necessary steps to bring the table of fares into operation.