Decision details

The Portfolio Holder for Regulatory will be asked to make a decision on whether consultation should commence on a new Taxi Handbook for West Suffolk Council.

RESOLVED:

That changes to the West Suffolk Taxi Policy Handbook be consulted upon, as set out in Section 3 and Appendix A to Report No: CAB/WS/20/014.

The current policies that govern the operation of Hackney Carriages and Private Hire vehicles, operators and drivers were agreed by Cabinet in February 2019 in preparation for a single West Suffolk Council. An initial harmonised taxi policy handbook was created to ensure greater consistency of licensing and to make the Council’s licensing requirements transparent to the trade and the public.

It was agreed in 2019 that the policy would then be reviewed within two years so that longer-term decisions could be made on the more complex issues arising from the harmonisation of the two councils. This includes hackney carriage licensing areas and taxi livery. Further substantive changes are also now being proposed to join up the public policy with the existing application requirements currently issued directly to licensees. This involves significantly changing the structure of the process to ensure it is easy to navigate. Details of the changes proposed are set out in Report No: CAB/WS/20/014 and the accompanying Appendix A.

The Portfolio Holder for Regulatory has considered the proposals and is satisfied that consultation should now take place on the changes, specifically with those set out in section 5 of the report.

To make no changes to the current Taxi Policy Handbook. This poses a reputational risk as Cabinet agreed to consult again within two years of becoming a single council to make sure our policy is fit for purpose. This also misses the opportunity to make beneficial changes relating to safety considerations.