Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor McCartney and Councillor Brook.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Licensing Committee held on 11 January 2021.

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2021.

RESOLVED:

To approve the minutes of the Licensing Committee meeting held on 11 January 2021.

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.

There were no disclosures of interest.

Members acknowledged that the country was still in the middle of a national lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic which was having an impact on all the licence holders within the district in some way.  It was hoped that the situation improved over the next few weeks and months.

The Committee noted that the Licensing Manager would provide a verbal update on Covid-19 related enforcement in regard to licensed premises over the last month at the next agenda item.

Lastly, the Chair reminded Members that the next meeting of the Licensing Committee had been brought forward in the committee calendar, and would now take place on Monday 1 March 2021.

To receive a verbal update from the Licensing Manager on Covid-19.

The Licensing Manager confirmed that the Council’s Licensing, Enforcement and Environmental Health teams and North Yorkshire Police continued to work together to deal with any issues or concerns surrounding licensed premises, and further confirmed that to date compliance by licensed premises had been good.

Members heard that the Licensing Authority had received an application for a review of the premises licence for the Bay Horse, Selby, and were informed that the grounds for the review were the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, and the prevention of public nuisance.  It was confirmed that the application for the review was in the middle of a 28-day public consultation period which would end on the 22February 2021, and that Members would be updated on the outcome of the review by email.

RESOLVED:

To note the update.

To receive the report which asks the Committee to consider if, for a period of one year, an urgent temporary suspension of Section 10.1 of the Policy should be recommended to the Executive, to enable applicants to apply to licence a vehicle which is more than 5 years old but less than 12 years old.

The Licensing Manager presented the report, which asked the Committee to consider if, for a period of one year, an urgent temporary suspension of Section 10.1 of the Policy should be recommended to the Executive, to enable applicants to apply to licence a vehicle which was more than 5 years old but less than 12 years old.

The Committee acknowledged that the Taxi Licensing Policy which had come into effect in January 2021, introduced a maximum vehicle age limit of five years for any vehicle being licensed by the Council for the first time. The Chairman of the Licensing Committee had raised concerns that due to financial pressures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic on the taxi trade, drivers may be adversely affected by the requirement of the age restriction contained in section 10.1 of the Taxi Licensing Policy.

Members heard that the reason for the age limit on vehicles was to ensure that licensed vehicles meet emission standards and encouraged the use of low pollutant vehicles, as it is the aim of the Council to reduce emissions within the District.

Members noted that officers had found no evidence that other authorities had temporarily suspended the vehicle age limits in their taxi licensing policies during the current Covid-19 pandemic, and that Selby District Council was consistent with the age limits required by authorities in other areas.    

Members queried that where a person applied to licence a vehicle that did not meet the age requirements within the Policy would the application be referred to the Licensing Committee.  The Licensing Manager confirmed that the application would currently be referred to the Licensing Committee to be considered on a case-to-case basis on its own merits, at which time Members could depart from the Taxi Licensing Policy if there were exceptional circumstances, and it was considered appropriate to do so.

RESOLVED:

To recommend to the Executive an urgent temporary suspension of Section 10.1 of the Taxi Licensing Policy, for a period of one year, to enable applicants to apply to licence a vehicle which was more than 5 years old but less than 12 years old.

Reason for decision:

To temporarily suspend Section 10.1 of the Policy would help to alleviate financial pressures due to the Covid-19 pandemic and support the taxi trade.