Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. LL55 1SH
Contact: Lowri Haf Evans 01286 679 878
No. | Item |
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ELECT CHAIR To elect a Chairman for 2018/19 Minutes: Resolved
to re-elect Councillor Peter Read as Chair of this Committee for the period
2018 - 2019 |
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ELECT VICE CHAIR To elect a Vice-chairman
for 2018/19 Minutes: Resolved
to re-elect Councillor Elfed Williams as Vice-chair of this Committee for the
period 2018 - 2019 |
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APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillor John
Brynmor Hughes, Siôn Jones and Rheinallt Puw. A concern was highlighted about the attendance of
some Members of the political groups as a result of a recent change in the
political balance. It was suggested to refer the observation to the Monitoring
Officer. 1.
DECLARATION
OF PERSONAL INTEREST |
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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 05.03.2018 be signed as a true record. Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting
of this committee held on 5 March 2018 as a true record. |
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GENERAL LICENSING SUB-COMMITTEE MINUTES PDF 76 KB To submit, for information, minutes of the General Licensing Sub-committee meeting held on the following date – a) 13.03.2018 Minutes: Submitted - for information, the minutes of a
meeting of the General Licensing Sub-committee that took place on 13.03.2018. |
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REQUEST TO CHANGE PORTHMADOG MARKET DAY FROM FRIDAY TO THURSDAY PDF 77 KB To consider the report of the Head of Environment Minutes: The
Solicitor highlighted that the Licensing Committee had no constitutional right
to make a decision on the matter and that this was a matter for the Cabinet.
The Senior Planning and Public Protection Manager was of the opinion that
Members' attention needed to be drawn to the matter because of their terms of
reference and it would be appropriate to include their observations in a report
to the Cabinet. Submitted - a report
by the Head of Environment Department in response to a request by one of the Porthmadog market representatives to change the market day
from Friday to Thursday. It was explained that a consultation had been held and
that the result of that consultation had been included in the report on a
format of reasons for and against the change. Attention was drawn to e-mails received since publishing
the report, where the Local Member stated that he had discussed the situation
with the traders and that the vast majority of them were against changing the
day. In response to a question regarding the total places for
traders in Porthmadog, it was noted that the location
was confined and therefore up to 12 places could be accommodated comfortably.
As it had been noted that up to 18 traders had responded to the consultation,
it was suggested that traders who did not attend the Porthmadog
market had made observations. In response to a question regarding the fixed daily or
annual charge, it was noted that traders signed an annual contract (with some
possible exemptions). It was reiterated that the cost varied in terms of the
stall size, with casual traders paying slightly more as they were not regular
traders. During
the ensuing discussion, the following points were highlighted by individual
Members: ·
It was disappointing
that only one trader had submitted an application ·
Moving to Thursday would have a detrimental impact on Barmouth market day ·
It was clear that most traders wanted to keep the day as it was It was proposed and seconded to recommend to the Cabinet to
keep the Porthmadog market day on Friday. The Members were thanked for the opportunity to give their
observations on the matter. |
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PROPOSED TAXI LICENCE FEES 2018/19 PDF 59 KB To consider the report of the Head of Environment Minutes: Submitted - the report of the Head of Environment
Department, asking the Committee to approve the proposal to increase the fees,
subject to consultation with the taxi industry and consultation through public
notice. It was explained that an increase in fees needed to be logical and set
on a level to fully or partially recover costs (in
accordance with Sections 53 and 70 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act 1976). The Members were reminded that the General
Licensing Committee had decided, at a meeting held on 24.6.13, that the fees
had to be reviewed to fully recover the costs. It was noted in the report that
the taxi fees had increased 25% in 2013 and 19.78%,
and 10.78% in 2015 in order to fully recover the costs. The fees were not
increased at all in 2016/17 or in 2017/18. The impact of recent legislative
changes on licensing process was referred to, which has created an increase in
licensing processing work. Reference was also made to the financial assessment
made of the proposed fees by the Treasurer's Department. The current costs and the proposed
costs were outlined, which included the cost of sending renewal reminder
letters and the administration work associated with advising and communicating before
and during the process of submitting an application. It was explained that the
fees would need to be increased on an average of 28% in order to fully recover
the costs. During
the ensuing discussion, the following points were highlighted by individual
Members: ·
Much work had been done
to meet and protect the industry in the past ·
Needed to consider
setting up a monthly direct debit payment provision rather than one annual full
payment ·
The industry needed to
present their opinion formally during the consultation ·
An application for a
three-year licence was ultimately cheaper than a one-year licence and that the
saving was substantial. In response to a question regarding regional and national discussions
about reconciling fees, it was emphasised that most authorities had seen an
increase in costs since introducing a three-year licence. It was reiterated
that the financial assessment had been made with the input of the Treasurer's
Department which challenged the need to increase the cost of a three-year licence.
It was noted that the decision had been made on the grounds that there was not
much difference in costs between administrating a three-year licence and a
one-year licence following the initial work. In response to a question regarding escalating enforcement matters, it
was emphasised that it was not possible to use money from the costs to do so. RESOLVED to approve the proposal to raise the fees to the recommended
level, subject to consultation with the taxi industry and consultation through
public notice. |