Agenda item

Members received a report for noting with regard to the Air Quality (Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles Database (England and Wales) Regulations 2019 (“the regulations”).

The Senior Practitioner (Licensing) (SPL), Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS)  presented the report and explained that the regulations had been brought into effect in response to work carried out by the government in 2017 looking at the levels of roadside nitrogen dioxide.  The government identified 61 local authorities showing exceedances; those authorities were required to carry out feasibility studies and if necessary draw up plans to bring roadside concentrations of nitrogen dioxide within legal limits as quickly as possible.

Under the local plans an option open to local authorities would be to introduce Clean Air Zones (“CAZs”) where minimum emissions standards would be applied with the aim of reducing levels of nitrogen dioxide.  Local authorities would also be able to introduce zones where vehicle owners would be required to pay a charge to enter or move within a zone if they were driving a vehicle that did not meet the particular minimum emission standard for their vehicle type in that zone.

The three local authorities which were actively considering establishing CAZs to come into force in 2020 were Leeds, Birmingham and Bristol.

Members were referred to the Clean Air Zone Framework which set out the minimum requirements for a CAZ and the four classes of charging as set out at paragraph 3.7 on page 24 of the agenda.  It was noted that under the four classes taxis, Private Hire Vehicles and private vehicles were listed separately.  It might be necessary to differentiate between them in the event that any local authorities introducing CAZs decided to apply charges to say to taxis and Private Hire Vehicles, but not to private vehicles. 

Licensing authorities would hold information on the taxis and private hire vehicles licensed within their areas, but they would not hold data on any vehicles moving around their areas that had been licensed by another authority.   Accordingly to be able to track, and if necessary charge these vehicles, the government through the regulations would be setting up a national database for taxis and private hire vehicles.  Under the regulations all licensing authorities would be required to submit information about the vehicles licensed in their areas and the database would be overseen by the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The SPL confirmed that the necessary systems for the information to be reported to DEFRA on behalf of Redditch Borough Council had been established and were in place, although at the time of the meeting DEFRA had not yet commenced calling for the information.  When up and running the data would be supplied once a week.

Officers had taken steps to publicise the changes with licensed drivers through the trade newsletter and the taxi forum.  The SPL confirmed that no personal data would be included in the information that was passed on which would be limited to the registration number, the make and model of the vehicle, which authority it was licensed by and whether it was Hackney Carriage or private hire.

RESOLVED that

the report  regarding the Air Quality (Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles Database) (England and Wales) Regulations 2019 be noted.