Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and drew attention to the safety information.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Steve Jones and Lucy Whittle.

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm as a correct record for signing by the Chair.

RESOLVED - The minutes of the meeting of 11 June 2019 agreed as a correct record.

Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item

Any member of the public or Councillor may participate in Public Forum.  The detailed arrangements for so doing are set out in the Public Information Sheet at the back of this agenda.  Public Forum items should be emailed to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk and please note that the following deadlines will apply in relation to this meeting:-

Questions - Written questions must be received 3 clear working days prior to the meeting.  For this meeting, this means that your question(s) must be received in this office at the latest by5 pm on Wednesday 12 February.

Petitions and Statements - Petitions and statements must be received on the working day prior to the meeting.  For this meeting this means that your submission must be received in this office at the latest by 12.00 noon on Monday 17 February.

There was no public forum.

Sarah Flower introduced the report and gave the Committee an executive summary. There was a short discussion where members said the new system was welcome as it improved public safety while enabling drivers to keep their records up to date cheaper and quicker.

RESOLVED – The Committee approved the following recommendations:

(1) consider the information within this report and;

(2) to delegate authority to the Licensing Manager to consult on the proposal to amend the fit and proper persons policy to require drivers and applicants to sign up to the online Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) update;

(3) to bring a report back to committee to consider the responses to the consultation and any further proposed changes.

Sarah Flowers introduced the report and gave the committee an executive summary.

The following points were discussed:

·       The proposal enhances safety, as it requires training for non-driver staff including proper personal data management.

·       It is possible under the current system to lose a license as a driver but continue or begin as an operator.  

·       Feedback on these proposals from operators is positive and many are already taking these steps themselves.

·       Large firms may find this easier to implement, but the policy can be flexible based on the size of the organisation.

RESOLVED – the Committee approved the following recommendations:

(1) consider the information within this report

(2) delegate authority to the Licensing Manager to consult on:

a) the proposed Private Hire Operator Policy,

b) amendments to be made to existing Private Hire Operator Conditions

Sarah Flowers introduced the report and gave the Committee an executive summary.

The following points were discussed:

·       There is currently no policy to cover card payments. There is now an expectation from the public that they can pay with cards, especially contactless payments.

·       This should stop the phenomenon of customers needing to stop at cash machines, causing inconvenience for customers and drivers.

·       Many card readers also have the facility to take payments via smart phones, which is useful if cards have been stolen.

·       Some drivers have raised issue of renting their vehicle rather than owning, which means placement of card readers could be difficult. However most readers can be attached and detached from the vehicle.

RESOLVED: the Committee approved the following recommendations:

a) Agree to consult on the draft Hackney Carriage Vehicle Policy to include a mandatory card payment facility which is attached as Appendix 1

b) Agree to consult on draft Hackney Carriage Vehicle inspection standards which is attached as Appendix 2

Sarah Flowers introduced the report and gave the committee an executive summary.

The following points were discussed:

·       This policy has already been discussed with several stakeholders, including Taxi Forum and the Members Working Group.

·       The policy refers to tints as factory standard, not after market films. This is to avoid the need for drivers to replace windows in a new car upon purchase due to the level of tint as standard.

·       The Sight Loss Forum was consulted during policy development. Although there was some concern about how this could affect people with sight loss, they would prefer Bristol drivers to have their license issued within the Authority due to the better standards.

·       As this decision is about starting a consultation it does not fall into pre-election period restrictions. The decision itself should be taken outside of the PEP.

RESOLVED – the Committee approved the following recommendations:

(1) consider the information within this report

(2) delegate authority to the Licensing and Trading Standards Manager to consult on:

a) amendments to be made to existing Private Hire Vehicle Policy attached as Appendix 1

b) amendments to be made to the existing vehicle inspection standard attached as Appendix 2