Decision details

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Brookes)

Cabinet received a report from the Director for Communities and the Environment to consider introducing a new fare tariff in relation to licensed hackney carriages operating in the Lancaster district.  At a meeting on 29 August 2019 the Licensing Committee had, in its capacity as an advisory committee recommended Cabinet’s approval of the new tariffs.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in a report to the Licensing Committee, appended to the agenda, as follows:

The Officer preferred option is Option 3 to apply an increase of 20p to the initial flag fall.  Applying the tariff increase would seem appropriate so as to help ensure that hackney carriage proprietors receive a reasonable increase in fare income.  The increase reflects necessary and proportionate adjustments, given that there were no increases in fares last year (2018) and the increase in the previous year was marginal, based on the annual RPI.  Any concerns from members of the public will be addressed through the consultation process by placing a notice in the local press proposing the revised tariff.  An amended table of fares, that reflected option 3, was appended to the agenda as Appendix 3.

It was reported that there was an error in Appendix 3 and that the tariff 3 should read £5.20 and not £5.00 and this would be amended prior to going out to consultation.

Councillor Brookes proposed, seconded by Councillor Parr:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report subject to the amendment to tariff 3 in Appendix 3, as set out above, be approved.”

Councillors then voted:-

Resolved unanimously:

(1)          That the new table of fares as recommended by Licensing Committee on 29 August 2019 be approved subject to a revision to Tariff 3, Appendix 3 to read £5.20  and not £5.00.

(2)          That the Licensing Manager be authorised to advertise the new table of fares as required by legislation.

Officer responsible for effecting the decision:

Corporate Director for Communities and the Environment

Reasons for making the decision:

The setting of fares is an Executive function as it is not one that is listed in the Local Authorities (Function and Responsibilities) (England) Regulations 2000 and therefore falls to the Cabinet to make the final decision whether to approve the increase in charges recommended by Licensing Committee on 29 August 2019.  The decision enables the proposed fares to be published in the local paper and allow for any objections to be considered prior to coming into effect.