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No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Minutes: None to note |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive
any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: No declarations of personal interest were received from
any members present. |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any
items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for
consideration. Minutes: None to note |
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The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, held on 11.12.17 be signed as a true record. Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, that took place on
11 December 2018, as a true
record. |
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GENERAL LICENSING SUB-COMMITTEE MINUTES PDF 227 KB To submit, for information, minutes of the General Licensing Sub-committee meeting held on the following date – a) 12.01.2018 Minutes: Submitted
- for information, the minutes of a meeting of the General Licensing
Sub-committee that took place on 12.01.2018. |
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HACKNEY CARRIAGE METER SPECIFICATION. PDF 374 KB To consider the report of the Head of Environment Minutes: A report was submitted by the Head of the Environment Department
outlining the background and giving an update on developments with hackney
vehicle meters (taximeters). The Committee was requested to approve a proposal
to amend the conditions as part of the wider review of taxi licensing policies
and conditions currently being reviewed.
A list of the current conditions together with the proposed conditions
were presented. It was highlighted that one of the areas of discussion was the rise in
use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to measure fares in licensed
vehicles. Although this use was welcomed
as a system for operators to manage and dispatch vehicles to customers and to
effectively calculate the fare for the journey, it was reported that no GPS
system currently complied with the requirements of The Measuring Instruments
(Taximeters) Regulations 2006.
Consequently, they could not be used as an approved taximeter. It was explained that the proposal was to add a condition to clarify the
current legal status of GPS taxi management and dispatch systems. It was reported that no arrangement was in place for hackney carriages
in Gwynedd to have their taximeters tested periodically. In response to this conditions were proposed
for taxi vehicle owners to ensure that taximeters are working appropriately;
providing a certificate to confirm that the taximeter complies with the
approved specification; is installed in accordance with The Measuring
Instruments (Taximeters) Regulations (2006); has been calibrated to include
only Gwynedd Council tariffs. It will be a requirement for the proprietor to
produce a certificate annually to the Licensing Authority to prove that
taximeter is accurate. In order to promote the changes, it was proposed that
the Licensing Unit should establish a list of approved taximeter
installers/testers to install and undertake the annual tests. It was noted that it would be necessary to consult with the trade
regarding the changes to hackney vehicle licensing conditions. This would be undertaken as part of the wider
consultation on the review of taxi licence policies. During the ensuing discussion,
the following points were highlighted by individual Members: ·
That the recommendation was
welcomed and ensured consistency. ·
It would be timely to receive
legal advice on the use of GPS instruments. ·
That the policy was being reviewed
in response to changes in technology. ·
There was a managerial advantage
to use GPS and therefore it was necessary to ensure that both systems worked
jointly. In response to a question regarding who would check the adaptations to
taximeters, it was noted that it would be the responsibility of the companies
to comply with the proposed conditions.
In response to a question regarding ensuring that the taxi driver was a 'safe driver' (following a recent incident of revoking a driver's licence due to drug use), it was noted that the Licensing Unit usually received information through the trade. If the Licensing Unit had concerns or if information came to hand from the public about a driver acting inappropriately then the Unit would make a request to the Police for information. ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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REVIEW OF GWYNEDD COUNCIL TAXI POLICY To receive verbal update on recent developments Minutes: An oral update from the Licensing Manager was provided
on the process of reviewing all Gwynedd Council taxi policies and the Members
were reminded that the intention was to submit one unitary policy which would
include the Committee's decision to implement sections 165, 166 and 167 of the
Equality Act. It was added that the
Licensing Unit had informally consulted with the trade and had received some
comments. It was stated that one general
observation was that they objected to changes in policies concerning accessible
vehicles for wheelchairs and argued that the situation was unfair. During the ensuing discussion, the following points were highlighted
by individual Members: ·
That adapting the policy for accessible vehicles to wheelchairs was a response to the requirements of
the Well-being Act. ·
Taxi companies had to address the need. ·
It was suggested that a future vision should
be for every taxi to be a multi-purpose vehicle. ·
A suggestion that every Local Authority
across north Wales expressed their views as one to try and force every
taxi to be multi-purpose in the future. The Solicitor advised that the Licensing Unit should submit a report to the Committee in order
to get clarification regarding the options and guidance on
the way forward in order to come
to a resolution.
The information was accepted. |