Agenda item

Report of Licensing Manager

The Committee received the report of the Licensing Manager to enable Members to consider the responses to the recent consultation about the perceived problem in relation to the availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles.

On 3^rd September 2015, the Committee had resolved that a consultation should be undertaken with the hackney carriage & private hire trade and stakeholders on potential solutions to the perceived problems relating to the availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles.  A consultation letter had been sent to all stakeholders and the Committee had met with representatives of private hire operators to discuss the issue.

A total of 22 responses had been received to the consultation.  Most of the responses acknowledged that there was a problem in relation to the availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles.  However, there was no consensus as to any sort of workable solution, and officers did not consider the responses to be conclusive.

One of the responses suggested that two additional hackney carriage plates for wheelchair accessible vehicles could be allocated to each of the three large operators in the district, who would then be required to employ drivers specifically to drive those vehicles.  The drivers would be on an hourly rate, which would eliminate the problem of drivers losing money on dead mileage and so on. 

It was reported that if Members decided that this solution should be explored, the co-operation and agreement of the operators would be required, together with further consultation and discussion.  Any arrangement would have to be properly documented to ensure that appropriate and enforceable licence conditions were imposed.  In the interests of fairness, consideration should be given as to whether such an arrangement could be extended to other operators.

Another option would be to wait until the unmet demand survey next year, and to authorise the Licensing Manager, when commissioning that survey, to request a specific assessment of the demand for and availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles, and to request that the survey report include possible solutions based on that assessment.

It was proposed by Councillor Hartley and seconded by Councillor Edwards:

“That the Committee waits until the unmet demand survey next year and authorises the Licensing Manager, when commissioning that survey, to request a specific assessment of the demand for and availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles, and to request that the survey report include possible solutions based on that assessment.”

It was then proposed by way of amendment by Councillor Hamilton-Cox:

“That officers be asked to explore the solution suggested in one of the responses that two additional hackney carriage plates for wheelchair accessible vehicles could be allocated to each of the three large operators in the district, who would then be required to employ drivers specifically to drive those vehicles, and that the drivers be on an hourly rate.” 

There was no seconder for the amendment and therefore the Chairman did not put it to the meeting.

Councillor Gardiner then proposed by way of amendment:

“That the requirement for drivers of registered wheelchair accessible vehicles to undergo the enhanced wheelchair element of the DSA training be waived for a period of six months.”

There was no seconder for the amendment and therefore the Chairman did not put it to the meeting.

Members voted on the main motion, and 5 Members voted in favour of the proposition and 2 against, with 1 abstention, whereupon the Chairman declared the proposal to be carried.

Resolved:

That the Committee waits until the unmet demand survey next year and authorises the Licensing Manager, when commissioning that survey, to request a specific assessment of the demand for and availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles, and to request that the survey report include possible solutions based on that assessment.