Agenda item

As the relevant licensing authority, Surrey Heath Borough Council was responsible for the licensing of taxis and private hire drivers, vehicles and operators. The Local Government( Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 included provisions that allowed district and borough councils to recover such fees as they consider reasonable with a view to recovering the costs of the issuing and administration of drivers’ licences for both taxis and private hire vehicles (Section53(2) ). Furthermore, Section 70 of the Act allowed the same for vehicle and operators’ licences.

‘A district [or borough] council may charge such fees for the grant of vehicle and operator licences sufficient in the aggregate to cover in whole or in part –

• The reasonable cost of carrying out by or on behalf of the district council of inspections of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles for the purpose of determining whether any such licence should be granted or renewed

• The reasonable cost of providing hackney carriage stands, and

• Any reasonable administrative or other costs in connection with the

foregoing and with the control and supervision of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.’

The proposed updated fees were considered by the Licensing Committee at its meeting on 15th December 2021, and it was recommended that the proposed fees be approved by the Strategic Director-Environment and Community in consultation with the Strategic Director-Finance and the Finance Portfolio Holder. Subsequently as required by the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, the Council had placed a notice in the local press. Following the statutory ‘notice period’, the Council had received two further representations from Members of the Taxi and Private Hire trade.

The Committee noted that whilst the additional representations requested the reconsideration of the increased fee for the permanent transfer of a vehicle licence, it was noted that the current £50 fee did not currently cover the cost of the administration of the transfer. Furthermore, it could in fact be perceived that the Council was currently de facto subsidising permanent licence transfers.

RESOLVED that the proposed revised Taxi and PH fees and charges as per Annex A of the agenda reports pack, be recommended for approval by the Strategic Director - Environment and Community in consultation with the Strategic Director-Finance and the Finance Portfolio Holder.