Agenda item

6.1

The Chief Licensing Officer submitted a report reviewing the current policy which determines the number of times a licensed vehicle is required to be tested at the expense of the licensee.

6.2

Clive Stephenson, Principal Licensing Officer, presented the report and stated that this was an annual review to look at the testing procedures and to consider the options open to the Committee.

6.3

Members of the Committee and Trade Association representatives made a number of enquiries regarding the report, which mainly sought clarity regarding the findings of tests carried out during November, 2012 and October 2013, and the figures shown in Appendix 1 outlining pass/fail/suspension results.

6.4

Clive Stephenson presented a booklet that was available to drivers and garages and shows what is required of vehicles when presented for testing.  He stated that Sheffield has a very high standard when testing vehicles and that some other Authorities have adopted Sheffield’s standards.  He added that drivers are given plenty of notice that their vehicles are due for testing and if they should fail, re-tests are held as quickly as possible, usually on Thursdays.  However the Licensing Service was looking at ways of improving the system and getting re-tests done quicker.

6.5

Members also asked why hackney carriage vehicles were more likely to fail than private hire vehicles , to which Clive Stephenson informed them that there were more things to go wrong on hackney carriages i.e. disabled access, meters, etc.  Clive Stephenson added that if a vehicle fails on a regular basis, then its licence is referred for consideration by the Licensing Sub-Committee.

6.6

Clive Stephenson stated that private hire vehicles can only be licensed for up to nine years, due to the amount of mileage usually undertaken, which was generally between 30,000 and 40,000 per annum, but added that the majority of the City’s hackney carriage and private hire vehicles were very well maintained.

6.7

RESOLVED: That the public and press and attendees be excluded from the meeting before further discussion takes place on the grounds that, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, if those persons where present, there would be a disclosure to them of exempt information as described in paragraph 5 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.

6.8

Marie-Claire Frankie reported orally, giving legal advice on various aspects of the report.

6.9

At this stage in the proceedings, the meeting was re-opened to the public and press and attendees.

6.10

RESOLVED: That, following consideration of the report now submitted, the Committee agrees to leave the current policy in place, making no alterations to the frequency of testing of licensed vehicles of both licence types.