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Agenda item

Hackney Carriage Tariff Consultation

Purpose: To allow Members to consider the responses received during the 28 day consultation period with the trade concerning the proposed tariffs in relation to hackney carriage licensing. The key consideration is the balance between supporting small business and ensuring the general public has access to a good value hackney carriage service across all areas of the District.

 

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report (Agenda Item 5) which set out the responses received during the 28 day consultation period with the trade concerning the proposed tariffs in relation to hackney carriage licensing.

 

Suzanne McLaughlin noted that at the meeting on the 18 November 2019 it was agreed that Hackney Carriage Proprietors and Private Hire Operators would be consulted on proposed taxi tariffs following a request received from an operator. The operator had requested a 9% increase on Tariffs 1 and 2 and no increase on Tariff 3. Members had discussed the operator’s proposals and had made some suggested amendments and these were set out in Appendix C to the report. Any amendments had to adhere to section 65 of the local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

 

The consultation with the trade ran from the 06 December 2019 to 06 January 2020. All 229 Hackney carriage Proprietors and operators were contacted via a letter.

 

During the consultation period 37 responses were received. One additional response was received that fell outside of the consultation period. 31 of the 38 responses were in favour of the proposals, six wanted no change and one other option was proposed. Additional responses not included in the original paperwork were set out below:

 

Having read the proposals, may I refer to the informal meeting that took place on the 8th August between members of the Committee, Licencing Dept. and Trade where it was suggested and generally agreed on that a new tariff be made simple for everybody to understand. However, what is being proposed doesn’t seem to fit that criteria.

 

Tariff 2 is apparently 1.5 times Tariff 1 Surely 1.5 times £3 is £4.50 not £4 and Tariff 3 at 1.8 times is £5.40 not £5.00 Surely 2 X is simpler, bearing in mind it only affects several days of the year.

 

The physical tariff makes absolutely no sense at all as tariff 2 is definitely not 1.5 X Tariff 1.

 

I suspect that this proposal is either incorrect or designed to confuse the public.

 

Please explain.

 

 I must strongly object to this increase as I feel that in the current economic climate that an increase would potentially kill the trade and risk the jobs of the smaller independent operator / driver.

The last time that we had a fare increase of this magnitude, we saw a significant reduction in trade and an increase in public dissatisfaction. I feel that we will have the same repercussions this time if this proposed increase goes ahead. We don’t want to lose the little business that there is out there.

I feel that the current fare charges are correct and adequate for the size of town that we are. I refer to Billy Drummonds comment that:- a man had recently complained to him, who had taken a taxi two miles on a Sunday evening, and had to pay almost £10. He told Mr Drummond it was a "rip-off".

I would propose that tariffs are altered once per year to go up inline with inflation and not to wait 6 years.

A great deal of work has been undertaken my Mr Bridgman is relation to calculating a more “tidied up” approach, but, this will only be good for one increase and does not future proof the use of fraction of distances.

The use of fractions of a unit in distances has worked very well in the past and I see no reason why this can’t continue. Adjusting the distances by a small fraction each year allows for a small increase in the fare each year (inline with inflation).

I hope that the council can see sense that this proposed increase will have a detrimental effect to the trade and more importantly to the general public, who, some of which, rely on the taxi to get around as this is their only mode of transport.

 

Late response due to being away – no change. Consider too many taxis in daytime and no enough I the evening 

 

Ms McLaughlin noted that the tariffs agreed at the meeting would be subjected to a statutory consultation in a local newspaper. Officers suggested that authority be delegated to the Chairman of the Licensing Committee to make any minor amendments to the tariffs to come into effect on the 01 April 2020. If significant changes were proposed then an additional Licensing Committee meeting would need to be convened.

 

Councillor Graham Bridgman commented that the table that had appeared in the previous minutes was misleading as it did not include the whole spreadsheet. Specifically the question of the flag distance  of 2/10 of a mile was missing.  

 

Councillor Adrian Abbs stated that he had heard anecdotally that the fees were expensive and he queried if the Council was lining the pockets of the industry or if it should be protecting the users. Councillor James Cole noted that the fees had been stagnant for a number of years now. Councillor Hilary Cole stated that this could result in more significant increases and she therefore requested that the fees be reviewed on an annual basis even if it was agreed that no changes were required.

 

Members expressed concerns about the fees being higher here than they were in Reading given that taxis were often used by people with fewer resources. The Committee were reminded that these were the maximum fees that could be charged. Councillor Bridgman commented that the increases could be justified. They were lower than inflation and in most cases were below the fees in Reading.

 

Councillor Dennis Benneyworth commented that it was high time that the fees were changed and he thanked Councillor Bridgman and Officers for the work that they had put into the new tariff structure.

RESOLVED that the consultation responses be taken into account and the fees be the subject of a statutory consultation in the local newspaper and deposited at the Council offices, to come into effect on 1 April 2020.

 

 

Supporting documents: