Agenda and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bains, Gibb-Gray, Heard, and Pierce Jones..

To approve the minutes of the Licensing Committee held on 16 September 2015.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Committee held on 16 September 2015 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Committee is asked to consider whether to pass a resolution excluding the public from the meeting during consideration of any of the items on the agenda.  If members wish to do so then this could be achieved by passing the following resolution.  Members are not required to pass the resolution but the Solicitor to the Council recommends this as to the item set out below.

That the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the item headed and numbered as below because:

it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information of the descriptions specified in paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Local Government Act 1972 shown against the heading in question; and

in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Item  7                  Application for a Private Hire Operators Licence.
(Paragraphs 1 to 3)

Paragraph 1        Information relating to any individual

Paragraph 2        Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual

Paragraph 3        Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

RESOLVED that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the minute headed and numbered as below because:

it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during those minutes there would be disclosure to them of exempt information of the descriptions specified in paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Local Government Act 1972 shown against the heading in question; and

in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Minute 31 Application for a Private Hire Operators Licence

(Paragraphs 1 to 3)

There were no matters arising.

To receive and record any declarations of interests from members present in respect of any of the various matters on the agenda for this meeting.

There were no declarations of interests.

The Chairman to report the outcome of meetings attended or other information arising since the last meeting.

The Chairman referred to the sad news of the sudden death of Councillor Frida Edwards and expressed his appreciation of the work and commitment Councillor Edwards had made to the Licensing Committee. He extended the Committee’s sympathy to Councillor Edwards’ family.

The Committee considered a report by the Licensing Officer setting out the draft statement of Licensing Policy 2015.

In response to concerns raised by members of the Committee, the officers undertook to ensure that future reports clearly showed changes between the proposed and existing policy.

RESOLVED that

(i)               that the proposed Statement of Licensing Policy 2015 be approved for the purpose of consultation; and

(ii)             that at the end of the consultation period the draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2015 be reviewed by the Committee with the intention of recommending its adoption by Full Council.

The Committee considered the written report of the Licensing Officer recommending changes to the Council’s vehicle specification for  hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.

During the debate members expressed concern that a provision requiring split seating to form a continuous seat when not folded had not be included in the proposed new specification.

RESOLVED that the revised specification as submitted be approved and adopted subject to the following amendment:

Paragraph 4 – Seating -add the following condition

“Split rear seating must form a continuous seat when not folded”

The Committee considered a written report by the Licensing Officer proposing changes to the pre-requisite conditions relating to private hire operator licences.

RESOLVED that

(A)            the Council’s re-requisite conditions relating to private hire operators be amended to require that all future applications for private hire operators have operating centres situated within the Borough of Havant;

(B)            private hire operators currently licensed by the Council, who have operating centres situated outside the Borough, be given written notice that their operators’ licences licence might be renewed for a maximum period of 36 months from the date of this meeting

(this minute was taken in camera)

The Committee considered an application for a private hire operator’s licence from UBER Britannia Ltd.

The Chairman outlined the Committee’s procedure for dealing with the applications for private hire operator's licences.

The Licensing Officer presented his confidential report to the Committee and answered members’ questions..

The applicant was given an opportunity to address the Committee in support of his case and answered members’ questions.

The applicant and the licensing officers left the meeting during consideration of the application and were invited back into the meeting to receive the Committee’s decision.

RESOLVED that a private hire operator’s licence be granted to UBER Britannia Ltd subject to the standard conditions.