Agenda item

The Committee are asked to agree in principle the proposal for amending the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy and to authorise public consultation.

The Committee received a report asking the Committee to agree in principle the proposal for amending the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy and to authorise public consultation.

The following matters were considered:

(1)          Stance on ULEZ. A Member of the Committee asked if the report contradicts the Council’s stance on ULEZ and queries how consistent it is with previous communication from the Council on ULEZ. The Principal Licensing Officer responded to state that this proposed policy is not dependent on the decision to expand the ULEZ zone so therefore if the ULEZ expansion does not take effect then this policy could still take effect. The Principal Licensing Officer reminded the Committee that this report is to go to public consultation on an emissions policy for licensed vehicles and it will then be up to the Committee to decide what standard of emissions policy is introduced for licensed vehicles, based on the information garnered from the public consultation. There are advantages of adopting ULEZ standards as there is already the infrastructure in place for vehicle owners to easily find out if they are ULEZ compliant and the ULEZ standards are backed by scientific research. A Member of the Committee reminded members that the letter written to oppose the ULEZ expansion was in the interests of residents and the additional cost being imposed upon them, it was not in opposition of cleaner air in the borough.

(2)          Borough Air Quality. A Member of the Committee asked if the policy is necessary if our air quality is good within the borough. The Principal Licensing Officer responded to state that further improvements to the air quality in the borough would be beneficial to those with breathing difficulties or those with young children so is readily supported.

(3)          Additional Cost for Taxi Drivers. A Member of the Conservators asked if imposing extra costs onto people running lawful businesses is worth it when it will affect a relatively small number of vehicles. The Principal Licensing Officers informs the committee that all but two Hackney Carriage in the borough are Diesel engines and a large percentage are higher polluting vehicles so there is a definite benefit to imposing new standards for emissions despite the cost to the trade. There is already recognition within the trade that something has needed to be done when it comes to emission standards and this public consultation will be to understand and reach a balanced proposal for emissions standards which takes into account the addition cost imposed on licence holders as well as public health. It has not been recorded for licensed PHV if they are diesel or petrol engines, therefore, it is hard to say with any certainty how they would stand with the standards and ULEZ policy.

(4)          Imposed onto small number of vehicles. A Member of the Committee asked if there is any point enforcing this emissions policy when it is being put forward to affect such a small percentage of cars in the borough. The Principal Licensing Officer informed the Committee that Hackney Carriage Vehicles do 95% of journeys within the borough so it will have an impact on pollution. The Principal Licensing Officer lays out that the report is part of a wider holistic strategy for improving air quality in the borough and that can be partially achieved through licensing vehicles that don’t contribute to pollution in the local area.

(5)          Individual Discretion. A Member of the Committee asked if there will be some level of discretion when it comes to moving this policy forwards and enforcing it on licensed vehicle drivers. The Chair clarifies that this report is to bring the policy forward to public consultation and then it will come back to the committee, therefore there is leeway on what is proposed as the final policy. The Principal Licensing Officer informs the committee that an inflexible policy cannot be adopted as it would be grounds for legal challenge, therefore every policy adopted has to allow for exceptional criteria.  

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)      Agree in principle the proposal for amending the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy to phase in a requirement that licensed vehicles meet the same emissions requirements as the London Ultra-Low Emissions Zone, as set out in section 8 of the report.

(2)      Agree the policy be subject to public consultation with the results of the consultation and any policy modifications being brought back to the Committee prior to recommendation to full Council for adoption.