Regulatory Services Committee - 29 June 2022 (6pm)

29 June 2022
Regulatory Services Committee - Agenda and Reports

REGULATORY SERVICES COMMITTEE

NOTICE AND AGENDA

For a meeting to be held on Wednesday 29 June 2022 at 6.00pm in the Penn Chamber, Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth, WD3 1RL

Members of the Regulatory Services Committee:-

Councillors

Raj Khiroya (Chair)

Roger Seabourne (Vice Chair)

David Coltman

Stephen Cox

Rue Grewal

Tony Humphreys

Shanti Maru

Dominic Sokalski

Kate Turner

Alison Wall

Phil Williams

Joanne Wagstaffe, Chief Executive

21 June 2022

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public to aid discussions on agenda items at the Regulatory Services Committee meetings. Details of the procedure are provided below:

For those wishing to speak:

Members of the public will be entitled to register and identify which item(s) they wish to speak on from the published agenda for the meeting.  Those who wish to register to speak (for or against an item) are asked to please notify the Committee team by e-mail ( CommitteeTeam@threerivers.gov.uk ) 48 before the meeting or can come on the night of the meeting to register to speak from 7pm. Registering before the meeting allows the Committee Team time to prepare the speaker sheet in advance of the meeting.

Please note that contributions will be limited to no more than three minutes.

Please note that, in the event of registering your interest to speak on an agenda item but not taking up that right because the item is deferred, you will be given the right to speak on that item at the next meeting of the Committee.

For those wishing to observe:

Members of the public are welcome to attend the meetings.  You can request a place as an observer by contacting the Committee Team at email committeeteam@threerivers.gov.uk  48 hours before the meeting taking place if possible or can arrive on the night from 7pm.

In accordance with The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 any matters considered under Part I business only of the meeting may be filmed, recorded, photographed, broadcast or reported via social media by any person.

Recording and reporting the Council’s meetings is subject to the law and it is the responsibility of those doing the recording and reporting to ensure compliance.  This will include the Human Rights Act, the Data Protection Legislation and the laws of libel and defamation.

The Committee meeting will not be broadcast/livestreamed but a recording of the meeting will be made.

1.   APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2.  MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Regulatory Services Committee Meeting held on 8 March 2022.

22-03-08-rg-minutes

3.  NOTICE OF OTHER BUSINESS

Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 30 to be announced,

together with the special circumstances that justify their consideration as a matter of urgency.  The Chairman to rule on the admission of such items.

4.  DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

To receive any declarations of interest.

5. APPLICATION FOR HACKNEY CARRIAGE FARE INCREASE

To advise Members that the Licensing department is in receipt of a request from South Oxhey Radio Taxis (SORT) to seek an increase to the current Hackney Carriage Table of Fares, dated 2013, shown at Appendix 1. The request from SORT is dated 4 March 2022 but was received by the department on 9 March 2022.

The current Hackney Carriage Table of Fares is attached at Appendix 2 and is also publically available on the Council’s website.

The table of fares was last reviewed in June 2013 following a request from SORT. The 2013 proposal was to increase the start fare from £2.70 to £2.90 for the first 1015 metres, an increase of 7.4% and for the period for which a night charge is added to the fare to be extended from 05:00 to 06:00 hours. The reasoning for this request was due to the high percentage increase in the cost of fuel at the time. It was agreed by Members in 2013 to grant an increase of 10p (to £2.80) for the first 1015 metres or part thereof and to implement a night-time charge from 23:00 to 06:00, as per the initial request.

On receipt of the application in March 2022, letters were sent to all those licenced as Hackney Carriage drivers within Three Rivers (x 20) as well as advising all licenced operators, providing them with an opportunity to make comments by 27 May 2022. No comments have been received.

Officers have followed the previous methodology used in 2013 to provide data showing the price increases via various means.

Officers’ note that the cost of living has increased both for taxi drivers and taxi consumers and consideration is required to make sure the fares are sufficient for the drivers to make a living, but not too high to deter customers, recognising the important role the taxi trade plays in society, especially for transporting vulnerable passengers.

Officers agree to the increases, with the possible exception of the change in night time charging hours, explained in more detail below.

-05-22-06-29-rg-i-hackney-carriage-report-05i-22-06-29-rg-i-appendix-1_-letter-from-sort-05ii-22-06-29-rg-i-appendix-2_existing-hackney-carriage-table-of-fares-05iii-22-06-29-rg-i-appendix-3_proposed-hackney-carriage-table-of-fares-2022-05iv-22-06-29-rg-i-appendix-4_fare-comparison-with-other-neighbouring-authorities-05v-22-06-29-rg-i-appendix-5_national-hackney-fares-table-may-2022appendix-6_comparisons-over-2-and-5-miles-between-current-and-proposed

6.  REGULATORY SERVICES COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME

To consider and make necessary changes to the Committee’s work programme.

-06-22-06-29-rg-i-work-programme

7.  OTHER BUSINESS – If approved under Item 3 above.

8.  EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

If any confidential business is approved, it will also be necessary to specify the class of exempt or confidential information in the additional item(s) and a resolution to be passed in the following terms:

“that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined under Paragraphs 1 to 7 of Schedule 12A to the Act.”  It has been decided by the Council that in all circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

1.  OTHER BUSINESS – if approved under item 3 above

General Enquiries: Please contact the Committee Team at  committeeteam@threerivers.gov.uk