Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors A Bridges, C Large, M Specht and A V Smith.

Under the Code of Conduct members are reminded that in declaring disclosable interests you should make clear the nature of that interest and whether it is ‘Pecuniary’ or ‘Non-Pecuniary’.

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 26 February 2014

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on  26 February 2014.

It was moved by Councillor R Adams, seconded by Councillor P Hyde and.

RESOLVED THAT:

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 February 2014 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Report of the Environmental Health Team Manager

The Licensing Team Leader presented the report to Members.

He provided the Licensing Committee with an update on each of the following initiatives conducted by the Licensing Team during 2014/15.

EMA Multi Agency Taxi Enforcement

The Licensing Team leader informed Members that a bi-annual event was organised by NWLDC with the assistance of Leicestershire Police and East Midlands Airport to stop and check Taxis entering the Airport for defects. At the last event in September 2014, 106 vehicles from 33 councils were checked and a creditable 80 vehicles were found to be mechanically sound. The main defects identified were worn tyres and blown bulbs.

Councillor J G Coxon asked whether conducting the on the spot vehicle checks at the same time each year could cause predictability. The Licensing Team Leader informed Members that May and September were the best months to conduct these spot checks as many people were going away on holiday at this time. He informed Members that they were welcome to attend these programmes alongside officers.

Programme of on the Spot Taxi Vehicle Checks

The Licensing Team leader informed Members that 42 licensed vehicles had been subject to on the spot checks. Creditably 38 out of the 42 (90%) had passed the check. The four that had failed did so due to defective tyres and bulbs.

Councillor J Geary enquired whether or not Taxis drivers whose vehicles had failed for defect tyres had been prosecuted. He felt that the Council had a duty of care for people using Taxis in the district and stated that defunct tyres were a major contributor to road accidents.

In response to Councillor J Geary’s question the Licensing Team Leader informed Members that when the Police were involved they did prosecute individuals for tyre defects.  In addition, he explained that the powers to reject vehicles were in many respects as good as prosecution, as drivers had the expense of buying a new vehicle.

Visual Check of Older Taxi Vehicles

The Licensing Team Leader stated that to ensure a high quality of vehicles on the roads, a programme of inspections of older vehicles had been undertaken with 63 vehicles receiving a visual check.

Mechanical Examination of Licensed Vehicles

It was stated that every licensed vehicle within the district underwent a mechanical examination. Between April and October 2014, 174 vehicles received an examination with 112 of the 174 (64%) vehicles passing the test first time.  The Licensing Team Leader expressed his disappointment that this figure was not as high as he had hoped, and explained that around 70% was the initial target.

ACPO week Initiative with the Police

The Licensing Team Leader informed Members that although meetings and visits of licensed premises with the police to contribute to the Association of Chief Police Officers Licensing Initiative had been scaled back compared to the previous year, the Council was still intent on contributing to the initiative. 

Installation of IDOX public access software

The Licensing Team Leader informed Members that new software had been installed on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Report of the Environmental Health Team Manager

The Environmental Health Team Manager presented the report to Members. He advised them that the purpose of the report was to consult Members on the draft Street Trading Policy.  He reminded Members that the last Policy review was quite significant, however now there were further considerations to consider. He informed Members that he would take them through the changes and welcomed any comments from Members.

Proposed Changes to Current Policy

Assessing the Suitability of a Proposed New Trading Location

The Environmental Health Team Manager informed members that this proposal has came about as a result of the changes made in April this year to make the whole district a consent area. Subsequently, there has been an increased likelihood of people applying for licences in new areas that were previously unused. The proposal was to add Leicestershire County Council Highway Authority to the list of consultees.

Councillor M B Wyatt enquired whether or not the Coalville Special Expenses Working Party (CSEWP) should be included in the list of consultees as well. In response to this question the Legal Advisor informed Members that the CSEWP had no decision making powers, therefore they could not be considered as a consultee. He added that Ward Members could be notified however.

Councillor L Massey asked whether a street trader on Ashby Road near the island for the motorway junction between Ashby de la Zouch and Coalville had been through the determination process. She stated that his location was dire and was distracting and dangerous to road users.

Councillor J Ruff agreed with Councillor L Massey, adding that her own concern was that it would be difficult for individuals to pull over into the lay by given its close proximity to the roundabout. 

In response to these concerns, the Environmental Health Team Manager assured Members that this particular application has been approved. However, he could not confirm whether or not Highways had been consulted on the application, citing this example as another reason why the addition of Leicestershire County Council Highways Authority to the list of consultees had been proposed.

Councillor J Geary expressed his thanks to Councillor M B Wyatt for raising the issue and to the Legal Advisor for his comments.

List of Consultees

The Environmental Health Team Manager informed Members that there was a proposal to add the local Town or Parish Council to the list of consultees.

Councillor T Neilson proposed that all district Councillors be consulted in respect of applications as opposed to just Coalville Ward Members. This proposal was seconded by Councillor J Geary and agreed by affirmation of the meeting.

Determination Process, in the event of relevant Objection Received

The Environmental Health Team Manager informed Members that for reasons of transparency and fairness the Council was proposing to amend the determination process by referring all applications where a relevant objection was made to a hearing before a sub-committee. He explained to Members that this proposal should be considered by the additional cost that would be incurred against the increased  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.