Agenda and minutes

No declarations were reported at the meeting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 25th November, 2021 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Committee considered a report that detailed the Terms of Reference for the discharge of its Licensing functions, and sought approval of the procedure to be followed for Licensing hearings, and the delegation of functions.  The Committee’s approval was also sought to agree the appointment of Members to the Licensing Sub-Committee and the procedure for dealing with appeals.

RESOLVED that

(1)       the Licensing Committee note:-

(a)       the Terms of Reference for the Licensing Committee as detailed in Appendix A, which remain unchanged;

(b)       the Terms of Reference for the Licensing Sub-Committee as detailed in Appendix A, which remain unchanged.

(2)       the Licensing Committee agree:-

(a)        The procedures set out in Appendices B1, B2 and B3 are the            procedures for Licensing Committee and Sub-Committee    hearings held under the Licensing Act 2003, Gambling Act 2005        and Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and Local Government       (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 respectively, and remain           unchanged;

(b)        The delegation of functions set out in Appendix C1, C2 and C3,        which remain unchanged;

(c)        The appointment of Members to the Licensing Sub-Committee         as set out in Appendix D, which remain unchanged; and

(d)        The procedure for dealing with settling appeals after the Sub-           Committee hearing but before the appeal hearing in the            Magistrates Court is decided as set out in Appendix E and is           unchanged.

The Committee considered a report which provided an update on the activities of the Licensing Committee and Sub-Committee during the previous year.

Appendix A of the report provided a summary of statistical information relating to licensing applications and significant enforcement actions taken by the Licensing service during this period. 

The Committee were also advised that a revised statement of policy (Gambling Act 2005) was approved by Council on 20 January 2022. 

            RESOLVED to:-

(1)       note For the period 1st April 2021 to 31st March 2022 the following committees were convened

·         Licensing Committee – 2 occasions

·         Licensing Sub-Committee - 21 occasions

A total of 21 applications / notices were determined by the Licensing Sub-Committee, 5 of which were applications made under the Licensing Act 2003, 0 under the Gambling Act 2005 and the remaining 16 were taxi related;

(2)       note statistical details of all other licence applications (Licensing Act 2003 and Gambling Act 2005) determined by the Authority and a summary of significant licensing enforcement actions, for the period 1^st April 2021 to 31^st March 2022, are attached as Appendix A; and

(3)       note that revised Statement of Policy (Gambling Act 2005) was approved by Council on 20 January 2022.

The Committee considered a report and the impact of amending the Council’s Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Licensing Policy (‘the Policy’) with regards to mandatory CCTV in licensed vehicles, limits on vehicle emissions and limits on the maximum age of licensed vehicles.

The report also requested that members approve the undertaking of a consultation exercise on the proposed amendments to the Policy (Appendix 20 of the existing policy) to update the CCTV specifications to those shown at Appendix B of the report, to ensure that they are fit for purpose and up to date.

In addition the report also requested that members determine which, if any,

further amendments to the policy should be part of a consultation with the

licensed trade and members of the public. The consultation responses will

then be presented to the committee to determine any changes to the policy

and how the amendments will be implemented. 

It was agreed through the Chair, that each recommendation within the report would be considered in turn and members could ask questions they may have.

Recommendation (a) consultation should be undertaken regarding the proposed amended CCTV specifications shown at Appendix B.

Discussion took place with regard to who would be consulted and how far reaching that consultation would be. It was reported that consultation would be far and wide with a strong push on public engagement. Councillor Ian Pearson requested that the RNIB be included in the consultation to ensure alternative formats of the policy are produced for individuals with reading difficulties.

In relation to CCTV, it was noted that a number of authorities were capable of providing audio information, it was asked how Doncaster would fit in with the rest of South Yorkshire. Members were reminded that this was a consultation exercise and a report would come back to Committee at a later date for approval. However, it was advised that the Statutory Standards document recommends that all authorities undertake consultation based on their own area.

The Committee were also assured that safeguarding was in place and if an authority raised any concerns with a Hackney Carriage & Private Hire operating within their area, those concerns were shared with the relevant licensing Authority responsible and an outcome would be reached.

In terms of the Safeguarding course for drivers, it was asked whether this was mandatory. It was reported that although this was not part of the report, the Licensing Officer stated that to his knowledge any drivers who had not been able to attend the course due to covid restrictions had now attended the course.

Recommendation (b) - consultation should be undertaken regarding a

proposed revision to the policy to require that all Doncaster licensed Hackney

Carriage & Private Hire vehicles are required to be fitted with a CCTV system

which meets or exceeds the specifications set by the authority (APPENDIX C)

Councillor Ian Pearson welcomed this revision. However highlighted the need to gather as much evidence as possible locally, regionally and nationally.

It was suggested and agreed that a draft of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.