Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies received.

Councillor Ruth Allen was unable to attend.

There were no substitutes present at the meeting.

Members of the public who live or work in the District are invited to put one question or statement of not more than three minutes duration relating to items in Part 1 of the agenda only. If a question is asked and answered within three minutes the person who asked the question may ask a supplementary question that arises from the reply. A person wishing to speak must register to speak at least 15 minutes before the time the meeting is scheduled to start. There is an overall time limit of 15 minutes for public speaking which may be extended at the Chairman’s discretion.

There were no questions/statements from members of the public.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2017 (copy attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2017 were unanimously accepted by the Committee as an accurate record and were signed by the Chairman.

Report No: LIC/FH/17/003

The Committee received Report No: LIC/FH/17/003, which sought approval to adopt revised conditions to the existing Taxi Handbook across both licensing authorities in West Suffolk (Appendix 3).

The Licensing Team Leader advised that the proposed revised handbook had been simplified and reflected changes made to legislation as well as changes in the way new and existing drivers would be applying for their licences such as the proposed adoption of the Level 2 Certificate in Taxi and Private Hire Driving (or equivalent).

A formal consultation on the draft revised handbook was undertaken between 6 February and 20 March 2017 and covered both licensing authorities in West Suffolk. 

Prior to commencing the consultation a working party was established with the purpose of engaging with stakeholders and providing insight to ensure that changes to the conditions was undertaken fairly and robustly.

All formal responses received during the consultation were recorded with informal responses considered by the licensing officers and checked that they were fairly represented in the recorded comments.  Formal responses were summarised and attached at Appendix 2.

The Committee considered the document in detail and asked questions to which officers duly responded.  In particular discussions were held on dress code; enforcement; and dispensation from private hire proprietors displaying the licence plate on their licensed private hire vehicle.

The Chairman on behalf of the Committee wished to thank officers in producing a well written document.

It was proposed by Councillor Brian Harvey, seconded by Councillor John Bloodworth and with the vote being unanimous, it was

          RESOLVED:

That the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Handbook as set out in Appendix 3 to Report No: LIC/FH/17/003, be adopted, so that it could be applied by the Licensing Authority.

Report No: LIC/FH/17/004

The Committee received Report No: LIC/FH/17/004, which reported on the findings of the external consultation on a review of the Newmarket Air Quality Management Area. 

Following discussions held with key stakeholders, a consultation was undertaken with both statutory and non-statutory consultees including Newmarket Town Council and all relevant District and County Councillors together with local business representatives.  The consultation took place between 12 December 2016 and 3 March 2017. 

All responses received during the consultation were summarised within the report (LIC/FH/17/004).

With the exception of the response from Newmarket Town Council, the responses to the consultation were in favour of the proposal.  Comments from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs(Defra) and neighbouring District Councils endorsed the technical interpretation officers had made in this case.

Officers had provided reassurance to Newmarket Town Council, that there were no plans to stop air quality monitoring.  Officers would continue to monitor air quality, so long as it remained necessary and meaningful, to ensure that the measured improvements in air quality were maintained and to identify any locations where future action might be required.

Attached at Appendix A to the report was the existing Order and map, and attached at Appendix B was the recommended Order variation and map.

Based on the outcome of the consultation, it was recommended that the Committee approves the amendments to the Air Quality Management Area Designation in Newmarket, as set out in the Plans attached at Appendix B to the report.

In response to a particular question from Members, the Environmental Officer confirmed that there were still monitoring points on the clock tower roundabout in Newmarket, which were below the required levels.

It was proposed by Councillor Carol Lynch, seconded by Councillor Brian Harvey and with the vote being unanimous, it was

          RESOLVED:

That based on the review and findings of the consultation, the amendments  to the Air Quality Management Area designation in Newmarket, to implement the revised Order and Map as set out in Appendix B to Report No: LIC/FH/17/004, be approved.