Agenda item

Further consideration of a Penalty Point Scheme for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licence Holders

Minutes:

The Licensing Committee was asked to give further consideration to implementing a penalty points scheme for hackney carriage and private hire licence holders to help deal with minor offences and acts of non-compliance with licensing requirements.

 

The Senior Practitioner (Licensing) (‘SPL’), Worcestershire Regulatory Services (‘WRS’), reminded Members that during 2016 the Council carried out a consultation on introducing a penalty points scheme.  The consultation results had been considered by the Committee in July 2016, at which point it was decided to defer the implementation of a penalty points scheme to allow the Redditch Taxi Association to undertake a period of self-regulation to see if this could achieve the aims of the penalty points scheme by improving compliance with licensing requirements.

 

In March 2017 the Committee considered an update report on this matter and were provided with an overview of the complaints received about hackney carriage and private hire vehicles during the periods 1st February 2016 to 31st July 2016 and 1st August 2016 to 31st January 2017.  As the figures had shown a reduction in the number of complaints received it was agreed that WRS should continue to monitor the number of complaints received to see if these continued to reduce. 

 

Members were now asked to consider a summary of the complaints received about hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, operators and drivers during the period 1st February 2017 and 31st July 2017. 

 

It was noted that there had been an increase in the number of complaints during the six month period.  Some of the complaints were about matters covered by the proposed penalty points scheme, whilst others were not covered by this. The SPL advised that there were a lot of poor driving complaints throughout the county, which the penalty points scheme would not address.  Other complaints fell within the bracket of criminal offences, which the police would address. He added that in the context of taxi driver numbers it was only a very small minority of drivers who were giving the trade a bad name, with it being those drivers who were the main offenders and which the proposed penalty points scheme would aim to address.  

 

Members were disappointed to see that complaint numbers had increased and felt that the introduction of a penalty points scheme would provide greater protection for the public.  They were also disappointed to see that nobody from the Redditch Taxi Association was present to hear the discussion on this item.  Members also wished to see greater communication in the media regarding what actions the Council was taking to address such issues.

 

A Member raised the issue of the “fit and proper person” test for drivers, which the SPL advised would still apply.  Drivers would continue to be called before Members where offences were of a sufficiently serious nature, with the general threshold for referral of penalty points to Members under the proposed scheme being 12 points over a rolling 2-year period. 

 

RESOLVED that

 

Officers be directed to take steps to implement a penalty points scheme for hackney carriage and private hire licence holders.

 

Supporting documents: