Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room - Civic Centre, Doncaster Road, Selby, YO8 9FT

Contact: Dawn Drury  01757 292065 Email: ddrury@selby.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

53.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence. 

 

54.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 321 KB

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Licensing Committee held on 2 December 2019.

Minutes:

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 2 December 2019.

 

RESOLVED:

To approve the minutes of the Licensing Committee meeting held on 2 December 2019.

 

55.

Disclosures of Interest

A copy of the Register of Interest for each Selby District Councillor is available for inspection at www.selby.gov.uk.

 

Councillors should declare to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest in any item of business on this agenda which is not already entered in their Register of Interests. Councillors should leave the meeting and take no further part in the consideration, discussion or vote on any matter in which they have a disclosable pecuniary interest.

 

Councillors should also declare any other interests. Having made the declaration, provided the other interest is not a disclosable pecuniary interest, the Councillor may stay in the meeting, speak and vote on that item of business.

 

If in doubt, Councillors are advised to seek advice from the Monitoring Officer.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

 

56.

Procedure and Taxi Licensing Policy pdf icon PDF 106 KB

To confirm the procedure to be followed at the meeting, including the Council’s Taxi Licensing Policy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee noted the Licensing Committee procedure and the Council’s Taxi Licensing Policy.

 

Some Members raised concerns around a recent urgent decision taken by the Chief Executive to revoke the licence of a taxi driver. The driver has since been told that they could reapply for the licence. The Committee also noted that the driver had withdrawn the appeal against the revocation.

 

The Committee felt very strongly that the matter should have been referred to the Committee, and emphasised the Committee’s role in ensuring that licensed taxi drivers operating in Selby District were safe.

 

Members asked the Chair to meet with the Chief Executive to raise the following matters:

 

·           Why did the Chief Executive departed from the usual policy in relation to this matter?

·           What checks and balances were there to make sure that the driver is safe?

·           That an examination of the material detail relating to this matter in how the Council has got to this point should be carried out.

 

It was proposed and seconded that the Chair of Licensing meet with the Chief Executive and ask her the questions as set out above, and that a written response should also be provided for circulation to the Licensing Committee.

 

Lastly, officers were asked to ensure that the taxi driver appeared before the Licensing Committee prior to receiving a licence.

 

RESOLVED:

1.            To ask the Chair of the Committee to meet with the Chief Executive to raise the following matters in relation to the revocation of a taxi driver licence:

 

·           Why did the Chief Executive depart from the usual policy in relation to this matter?

·           What checks and balances were there to make sure that the driver is safe?

·           To ask that an examination of the material detail relating to this matter in how the Council has got to this point should be carried out.

 

2.            That a written response from the Chief Executive to the points above be circulated to the Licensing Committee.

 

3.            To ask officers to ensure that the driver appeared before the Licensing Committee prior to receiving a licence.

 

57.

Chair's Address to the Licensing Committee

Minutes:

The Chair informed the Committee that the Gambling Commission had launched a consultation on society lottery reform. They were seeking views on strengthening the licence conditions and codes of practice and producing guidance related to information available to customers.

 

Members noted that on Saturday 7 December 2019 Selby Enforcement and Licensing Officers carried out a joint enforcement evening in Eggborough, Tadcaster, Sherburn and Selby with the Police, Fire Services and a passive drugs dog. The evening was deemed to be a success and was reported as such in the local press.

 

Lastly, the Committee were made aware that one verbal warning had been given to a taxi driver by Officers in December for not declaring points on their driver’s licence.

 

58.

Private Session

That, in accordance with Section 100(A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, the meeting be not open to the Press and public during discussion of the following items as there will be disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12(A) of the Act.

Minutes:

It was proposed, and seconded, that the Committee sit in private session due to the nature of the business to be transacted.

           

RESOLVED:

That, in accordance with Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted the meeting be not open to the press and public during discussion of the following items as there will be disclosure of exempt information as described in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12(A) of the Act.

 

59.

Application for a Hackney Carriage Driver Licence

To receive the report, which asks the Committee to consider an application for a Hackney Carriage Driver licence.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Licensing Manager presented the report, which asked the Committee to determine an application for a Hackney Carriage Driver’s Licence. It was noted that the application had been brought before the Committee due to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check highlighted previous convictions during the application process.

 

The applicant was present and was able to respond to questions asked by the Committee concerning the report including the previous convictions.

 

The applicant and Licensing Manager left the meeting whilst the Committee considered the application.

 

The Committee considered the report, and the information from the Licensing Manager, and stated that they were concerned by the number and seriousness of the offences.

 

The Committee considered that the evidence presented did not demonstrate that the applicant was a ‘fit and proper’ person to be a Hackney Carriage driver. It was proposed and seconded to refuse the application. A vote was taken and it was unanimously:

 

RESOLVED:

To refuse the application for a Hackney Carriage Driver’s Licence.

 

Reason for decision:

The committee was not satisfied that the applicant was a ‘fit and proper person’; due to the number and seriousness of the offences.