Issue - meetings

Report of the Licensing Manager

The Committee received the report of the Licensing Manager to inform the Committee of action taken in relation to points raised by some members of the trade at the recent Taxi Surgery.

It was reported that at the Taxi Surgery held in October 2016, members of the trade had raised issues in relation to out-of-hours enforcement of taxi ranks in Morecambe and Lancaster. 

One of the issues raised was that hackney carriage drivers could not use the night-time ranks properly, due to private vehicles parking on them, and had commented about the signage at the ranks.  The Licensing Manager had contacted the Highways Department regarding the signage, and they had confirmed that the signage was authorised by the Department for Transport (DFT) and could not be changed.

Members were advised that Licensing officers could not hand out fixed penalty notices in relation to parking on ranks.  However, Section 64 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 prohibited any vehicle, other than a hackney carriage vehicle, from waiting on a rank, and contravention of this provision, without reasonable excuse, was an offence.

It was reported that, since April 2016, seventy-seven warning letters had been issued to the keepers of vehicles, who had been photographed parking illegally on the taxi ranks in Morecambe and Lancaster.  To-date, no-one who had received an initial letter had re-offended.

Licensing officers had carried out out-of-hours monitoring of the ranks, and had moved private vehicles on when they had tried to park there.  A separate out-of-hours operation had taken place, during which licensing officers had been accompanied by an officer of the Lancashire Constabulary, who had issued seven fixed penalty notices in relation to private vehicles obstructing the hackney carriage ranks.

It was reported that a request had been made to Lancashire County Council for civil enforcement parking support officers to work out-of-hours alongside licensing officers to issue penalty charge notices to help eradicate the problem.

A further point had been raised at the Taxi Forum regarding someone with a clipboard standing outside the private hire company on Queen Street in Morecambe taking bookings.  Members were notified that this was lawful if the vehicle had been pre-booked and details of the booking were kept.

It was proposed by Councillor Hamilton-Cox and seconded by Councillor Metcalfe: 

“That the Licensing Manager look into the possibility of creating a night-time rank at the Clock Tower.”

Upon being put to the vote, Members voted unanimously in favour of the proposition, whereupon the Chairman declared the proposal to be clearly carried.

Resolved:

(1)        That the report be noted.

(2)        That the Licensing Manager look into the possibility of creating a night-time rank at the Clock Tower.