Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda - Council Offices, Caernarfon. View directions
Contact: Lowri Haf Evans 01286 679 878
No. | Item |
---|---|
APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies had been received by Councillors Annwen Daniels, Annwen
Hughes, John Brynmor Hughes, Sion Jones and Jason W Parry. |
|
DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive
any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: No
declarations of personal interest were received from any members present. |
|
URGENT ITEMS To note any
items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for
consideration. Minutes: None to note |
|
The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, held on 11.9.17 be signed as a true record. Minutes: The
Chair signed the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, that took place on
11 September 2017, as a true record. |
|
GENERAL LICENSING SUB-COMMITTEE MINUTES PDF 223 KB To submit, for information, minutes of the General Licensing Sub-committee meeting held on the following date – a) 22.08.17 b) 13.11.17 Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted - for information, the
minutes of a meeting of the General Licensing Sub-committee held on 22.8.17 and
13.11.17. |
|
IMPLEMENTATION OF EQUALITY ACT 2010 - WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TAXIS PDF 244 KB To consider the
report of the Head of Environment Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted – the report of the Head of Environment advising the Members
on the elements of the Equality Act 2010 that have been operational since April
2017. It was reported that sections 165, 166 and 167 which are relevant to
vehicles accessible to wheelchairs, made it a requirement for the Licensing
Authority to decide whether they wish to publish the list of vehicles that have
been designated as accessible. The intention was to ensure that better
information would be available for wheelchair users about the vehicles that were
suitable for them in their areas, and for them to be confident that they would
receive the required assistance to travel safely. It was noted that Section 167 of the Act gave the Authority permission
to maintain a designated list of vehicles accessible to wheelchairs. Although
there was no legal obligation or statutory requirement to maintain a list, it
was noted that the government strongly suggested that Local Authorities should
ensure that the list was correct and up-to-date. Reference was made to the statutory
guidelines the Transportation Unit had determined in regards to implementing
the sections along with a recommendation to which process the Local Authorities
should consider to ensure that the Act was implemented effectively. It
was reported that there were 53 licensed vehicles that would be designated as
accessible to wheelchairs in Gwynedd (13% of the County's total). It was noted
that publishing a list would be a way to encourage and increase in licence
applications for such vehicles and would be an encouragement for companies to
realise the potential economic value of including accessible vehicles as a part
of their fleet. During the ensuing discussion, the following points were
highlighted by individual Members: - A list would set the framework for Gwynedd
Council's provision - It would be a good guide to promote service -
There would
be a possibility of collaborating and sharing the list with the County's
hospitals - Ideally, every hackney vehicle should be accessible
to wheelchairs and that this should be the vision for the future - There was a need to introduce the new system
gradually to encourage use of multi-purpose vehicles - The Council needed to be
innovative - Smaller companies more likely to invest following
public pressure - It would be a challenge for the department to keep
the list up-to-date RESOLVED to approve: a) implement the requirements of sections 165, 166 and 167 of
the Equality Act 2010. b) officers to prepare a policy to be considered by the
committee on the criteria for the exceptions and the procedures for drivers who
are not able to conform to the duties imposed by the Act for medical or
physical reasons. c) the policy provision for implementing these procedures to
be included in the upcoming review of taxis policies; and include them in the
unitary taxi policy which will be ready to be consulted upon soon. |
|
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 o reviewing all Gwynedd Council taxis 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 reported that James Button (JB) (Specialist
lawyer in the licensing field) was also conducting a national review to
strengthen and improve the convictions policy. It was added that Gwynedd
Council welcomed this work and appreciated any improvements / updates, as the
Council made extensive use of the policy when considering hackney license /
taxi driver applications. It was reported that JB's review would likely be
completed by April 2018 and that any adaptations would be included in Gwynedd's
unitary policy. During the ensuing discussion, the following points were
highlighted by individual Members: - The need to rationalise and reconcile the policies
for the three areas in Gwynedd was welcomed - Needed to ensure a general convictions policy for
everyone - the policies were currently being misinterpreted which made some
situations difficult -
Needed to
ensure that the adaptations / changes were implemented at the same time - one
adaptation In response to an observation regarding the timetable for
publishing the unitary policy, it was emphasised that this was dependent on
ensuring that all elements were ready along with conducting a formal and
official consultation. It was added that the elements would be driving the
timetable, but hopefully the unitary policy would be operational by June 2018. The information
was ACCEPTED. |