None. 

Recommendation: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2025 as a true and accurate record.

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2025 as a true and accurate record. 

Public addresses relating to matters of business for this agenda, up to five minutes is available for each public address.

The request to speak accompanied by the full text of the address must be received by the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy by 5.00 pm on Tuesday 3 February 2026.

The Chair invited Mr. Sajad Khan, Secretary of the City of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association (COLTA), to address the Committee. 

START 

Dear Members of the General Purposes Licensing Committee,  

I acknowledge and express appreciation for Oxford City Licensing’s proposal NOT to increase licensing fees this year. At a time when many sectors are facing rising operational costs, this decision is welcome and provides some relief to those of us working hard to sustain our livelihoods in the Hackney carriage trade. There are issues that impact us and vital that I must explain here.  

Firstly, with the substantial increase in the number of private hire vehicles licensed by Oxford City Council and are now operating in Oxford due to the introduction of Uber, many within our trade had expected that licensing fees would be REDUCED. The logic behind this expectation is simple: a larger licensed fleet should, in principle, ease the financial burden on the licensing department. For the first time ever we have witnessed private hire license plate numbers go beyond the figure of 1000 (the exact number of Private hire vehicles licensed in Oxford is currently unknown). Over the past few months, a significant amount of private hire vehicles are being licensed in Oxford.  

Secondly, as you will be aware, our trade continues to struggle immensely due to a severe and prolonged lack of work. The combined impact of changing travel patterns, closure of nightclubs and the deceitful competition from Uber and the overall decline in footfall across the city has left many drivers facing financial hardship. A reduction in licensing fees would therefore have provided meaningful support at a time when it is needed most.  

Thirdly and equally important, is the fact that Oxford City licensing fee structure in comparison to South Oxfordshire council is considerably higher, especially for electric vehicles, which is counter-intuitive given the council’s stated climate goals. The difference is large enough to impact driver finances. We pay significantly higher for our drivers and vehicle license fees:  

1. For a yearly vehicle licence in Oxford, the owners of the standard Hackney Carriage (diesel) pay £472 a year and the LEVC (electric) owners pay £354 a year.  

For a 3 years driver’s license in Oxford, drivers pay £452.40  

1. For a yearly driver’s license in South Oxfordshire, the owners of a standard taxi pay £389 a year (£83 less than Oxford) and the owners of any zero emissions capable, wheelchair accessible taxi pay £110 a year (£244 less than Oxford).  

For a 3 years driver’s license in South Oxfordshire, drivers pay £395 (£57.40 less than Oxford) 

This doesn’t include the additional cost we pay towards the Safeguarding and Disability Awareness Course every 3 years, the fee for the DBS update service and the taxi medical.  

I respectfully ask the Committee to take these concerns into account and to consider whether further support for the Hackney carriage trade may be possible, whether through fee adjustments, targeted relief, or alternative measures that recognise the critical role  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

Councillor addresses relating to matters of business for this agenda, up to five minutes is available for each address.

The request should be received by the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy by 5.00 pm on Tuesday 3 February 2026.

None. 

The Director of Planning and Regulation had submitted a report to review of feasibility study on smoke free pavement licensing as requested. 

Recommendation(s): That General Purposes Licensing Committee resolves to:

1.    Agree to retain the existing arrangements with regards to smokefree pavement licence conditions. A full smokefree pavement licensing condition is not recommended at this time due to the following factors:

·       Significant enforcement and resource pressures,

·       Forthcoming Local Government Reorganisation, and

·       The risk of creating inconsistency and inequity for businesses

·       That the current national?compliant arrangements remain proportionate, workable, and enforceable.

Please note that some appendices to this item will be published as a supplement.

The General Purposes Licensing Committee resolved to:

1.    Agree to retain the existing arrangements with regards to smokefree pavement licence conditions.

2. Request that officers undertake a consultation process to seek views on the implementation of 100% smoke-free pavement license conditions.

The Director of Planning and Regulation had submitted a report to review the feasibility of smoke free pavement licensing as requested by the Committee. ?  

The Supervising Senior Licensing Officer provided a comprehensive summary of the report, noting it had been compiled at the request of the Committee in 2025. The Committee understood that any alterations to pavement licensing must comply with The Business and Planning Act 2020, as amended by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023.  

The Chair invited questions from the Committee.  

Councillor Ottino commented that the report should have included feedback from organisations such as Turning Point in recognition of marginalised groups within Oxford who struggle with mental health challenges and addiction. Councillor Ottino emphasised his concern that a 100% smoking ban on pavements could further marginalise some groups by excluding them from social environments. 

The Supervising Senior Licensing Officer acknowledged the request for feedback from relevant organisations and outlined that control of smoking on pavements can only be extended as far as the legal boundary of a licence. 

Councillor Miles queried what the process for a consultation on this topic would be, to which the Supervising Senior Licensing Officer explained that the internal consultation team would be engaged to identify stakeholders, would be licence holders, councillors, and the public. 

Councillor Upton requested a definition of a ‘hospitality venue’ in order to understand which premises would be included and excluded from the classification. In relation to paragraph 4 of the report, Councillor Upton also queried the national conditions which require reasonable provision of smokefree seating and smoking-allowed seating. Councillor Upton also asked how long it would feasibly take for a 100% smoke free policy to be implemented, if progressed.  

The Supervising Senior Licensing Officer clarified that the definition of a ‘hospitality venue’ includes everywhere that sells food and drink. In relation to paragraph 4, the Committee heard that the national condition set by government outlines that there should be a discretionary condition for all venues to have some space for smoking. However, should the justification exist, then local authorities can deviate from this. Finally, the Supervising Senior Licensing Officer explained that each licence lasts for 2 years, therefore most renewals would be naturally occurring in August or September of 2026 and 2028, at which time a change could be implemented.  

Councillor Rawle, in relation to enforcement resourcing, asked what is currently involved and what would be required additionally, should a 100% smokefree pavement policy be progressed. The Supervising Senior Licensing Officer provided a summary of existing capacity and enforcement action. The Business Regulation Manager also outlined that Oxford City currently has 104 pavement licences monitored between 2 officers. Councillor Rawle commented that an additional officer may be needed.  

The Chair invited the Committee to debate the recommendation. 

Councillor Miles emphasised that the Committee must consider the justifications for 100% smoke free pavement licenses, with recognition that it would not be an immediate change and consultation would be required. Councillor Miles emphasised that she would support this direction  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

The Director of Planning and Regulation had submitted a report to seek agreement of the licence fees for 2026/27 where the Council has discretion over the level of fee charged.

Recommendation(s): That General Purposes Licensing Committee resolves to:

1.    Recommend to Full Council the Miscellaneous Licensing Fees and Charges for 2026/2027 as set out in Appendix 1.

Please note that some appendices to this item will be published as a supplement.

The General Purposes Licensing Committee resolved to:

1.    Recommend to Full Council the Miscellaneous Licensing Fees and Charges for 2026/2027 as set out in Appendix 1.

The Director of Planning and Regulation had submitted a report to seek agreement of the?licence fees for 2026/27?where the Council has discretion over the level of fee charged. 

? 

The Business Regulation Manager introduced the report and provided a comprehensive summary, noting that the Committee were required to recommend to Full Council the approval of the licensing fees and charges for the next financial year. The Committee were informed that the statutory principle in relation to the setting of the fees is that they should be reasonable, proportionate, and not exceed the cost of the procedures and formalities of the relevant licensing scheme, including staffing, training, administration, testing, inspections, hearings, and regulation. The Business Regulation Manager explained that the fees have been revised and increased in line with inflationary pressures. 

Councillor Ottino noted that the 10% increase sits above the inflation rate and therefore questioned how the increase was deemed reasonable. The Business Regulation Manager outlined the increases in previous years and explained that the average is therefore only a 6% increase across the last 5 years.  

Councillor Upton queried whether anyone in Oxford is currently licenced for ownership of a dangerous wild animal licence; it was confirmed that there are none currently.  

Councillor Ottino queried whether the increases proposed reflect a large impact on the budget, to which the Business Regulation Manager could not comment on the budget process in its entirety.  

The Chair invited the Committee to debate the recommendation; there were no comments.  

On being proposed by Councillor Upton and seconded by Councillor Miles, the recommendation was put to a vote.  

12 Members voted in favour and 1 abstained; the recommendation was agreed.  

The General Purposes Licensing Committee resolved to:

1.    Recommend to Full Council the Miscellaneous Licensing Fees and Charges for 2026/2027 as set out in Appendix 1.

Councillor Lygo left the meeting.  

The Deputy Chief Executive for Citizens and City Services had submitted a report to seek agreement on the licence fees for 2026/27 where the council has discretion over the level of fee charged.

Recommendation(s): that the General Purposes Licensing Committee resolves to:

1.    Recommend to Council to approve the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire, Road Closure Orders, Scrap Metal Dealers, Sex Establishments Street Parties and Commercial Events Licenses Fees and Charges for 2026/27 as set out in Appendix 1.

Please note that some appendices to this item will be published as a supplement.

The General Purposes Licensing Committee resolved to:

1.    Recommend to Council to approve the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire, Road Closure Orders, Scrap Metal Dealers, Sex Establishments Street Parties and Commercial Events Licenses Fees and Charges for 2026/27 as set out in Appendix 1.

The Deputy Chief Executive for Citizens and City Services had submitted a report to seek agreement on the licence fees for 2026/27 where the council has discretion over the level of fee charged. 

The Chair invited officers to introduce the report and to provide a response to the earlier public address.  

The Senior Licensing Compliance Officer (ET) introduced the report and provided a comprehensive summary, noting that the Committee were requested to agree to recommend to Full Council the approval of the general licensing fees and charges for the next financial year. The Committee heard that for commercial events and events with no commercial element, including street parties, these fees have increased by around 4.3% to cover the authorities’ costs due to inflationary pressures. The Senior Licensing Compliance Officer (ET) explained that scrap metal licensing fee setting is an executive function and are therefore determined by Cabinet. Finally, the Committee understood that there was no proposition to change fees relating to sex establishments and sexual entertainment value venues, or for Hackney and Private Hire licenses. 

The Senior Licensing Compliance Officer (ET) also delivered a response to the earlier public address on behalf of the General Licensing Team Manager as follows: 

START 

The Authority acknowledges that there has been increase in private hire driver and vehicle applications. The increase occurred within a period of less than a year following the launch of Uber Operator in Oxford. It is too early to determine whether this increase is temporary or long-term, and the Licensing Team is monitoring the position very closely. 

To manage the increased volume of Private Hire applications, the Authority has already taken steps to strengthen service capacity and meet the increased demand. This includes: 

• increased spending on processing and regulatory activity,  

• additional Officer levels,  

• higher supplies and equipment costs and demand, as well as  

• continued investment in taxi service improvements: 

We are now in the final stage of implementing the long-awaited Taxi online payments - which has required substantial Officers time and financial investment but will significantly improve efficiency for both the Hackney Carriage and private hire trades. 

It is important to clarify that all licence fees are legally ringfenced by licence type. Income from private hire licences can only be used to regulate the private hire sector. While that income is supporting the additional work generated by the rise in private hire applications, the Hackney Carriage trade still benefits greatly whenever improvements, such as modernised processes and online payments, are made available to all licence holders fenced by licence type. Income from private hire licences can only be used to regulate the private hire sector. While that income is supporting the additional work generated by the rise in private hire applications, the Hackney Carriage trade still benefits greatly whenever improvements, such as modernised processes and online payments, are made available to all licence holders. 

Should private hire income continue to increase beyond what is required to deliver an efficient, modernised, safe, and fully compliant service for a larger private  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

The Committee will next meet on 27 May 2026 at 18.00.

The Committee noted the dates and times of future meetings.