This report concerns the introduction of certain amendments, as follows, to the hackney carriage and private hire vehicle ‘conditions of fitness’ criteria:-

·         Age limit for vehicles

·         Annual tests for vehicles that are eight or more years old

It is for Council to reach the final decision on this policy matter.

Last Autumn the General Purposes Licensing Committee asked for consultation to be carried out on the implementation of age limits.  The Committee will be considering a report on the outcome of that consultation on 5^th September.  The Committee’s recommendations will be reported orally to the Board and it will be for the Board to frame a recommendation to Council.  

The Head of Environmental Development submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) concerning the age limits and euro emissions of Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles.

Councillor Colin Cook, Board Member for City development, presented the report to the Board. He confirmed that the taxi licensing trade had been consulted on this issue.

The Board noted that the Law Commission was due to report on the reform of Taxi and Private Hire Services at the end of 2013, but that any proposed reforms were unlikely to come into force during the lifetime of the current Government. The age limits proposed to Council would not take effect until after 1^st January 2016 in order to allow both a lead in period for the taxi trade, and a period for further progress in relation to the Law Commission proposals.

Resolved to recommend to Council the following age limits for Hackney carriage and Private Hire Vehicles:-

·         New Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles – 5 years;

·         Existing Hackney Carriage Vehicles – 12 years;

·         Existing Private Hire Vehicles -10 years.