Issue - meetings

The purpose of the report is for Members of the Licensing and Safety Committee to consider objections received from the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire trade and/or their representatives, to determine and approve the fees for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licensing, with or without modification and to set a date for the fees to come into force.

Contact: Fiona Goldsmith, Public Protection Group Leader, Licensing – 01484 221000

RESOLVED –

1)    That the fee structure as set out Appendix 1 of the report be approved.

2)    That the date set for fees to take effect be 22^nd September 2025

(Under the provision of Council Procedure Rule 37, the Committee received representations from Katherine Walter and Suhail Rashid.)

Fiona Goldsmith, Public Protection Group Leader for Licensing, presented a report on Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Fees. Members were asked to consider objections and representations submitted during the statutory consultation period by members of the trade and their representatives, and then to determine and approve the fees for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire, with or without modification. The Committee was advised that they would also need to set a date when the fees would come into force; that must be no later than the 23^rd September, which was 2 months from the end of the consultation.

The Committee was advised that, in accordance with Sections 53 and 70 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, the Council was permitted to set fees for the licensing of Hackney Carriage and private hire drivers, vehicles, and operators, provided those fees were reasonable and did not exceed the cost of administering the licensing scheme. A fee calculation and statutory consultation was undertaken with the trade in 2023, during which concerns were raised regarding historic surpluses and deficits. As a result, fees were held at existing levels pending a full financial review, which had now been completed by the Council’s Finance Service, covering the period since 2015 when the last fee review took place. The review identified a deficit of £98,000 as of 31 March 2024 (page 11 of the report).

The Committee was informed that on 26 June 2025, a draft schedule of proposed fees and charges for the financial years 2025/26, 2026/27, and 2027/28 was issued for consultation with the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire trade. Although the legal requirement to consult applied only to vehicle and operator fees, the Council also included driver fees in the consultation. The decision to consult over a three-year period was made partly to reduce costs. The proposed fee structure included a 3% increase for the current year, followed by a 2% increase in each of the subsequent two years, subject to adjustment in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) if it falls below 2%.

Ms Goldsmith informed the Committee that a notice was published in the Huddersfield Examiner and displayed at Flint Street offices to inform members of the public and the trade of the consultation, which closed on 24th July 2025.  In response to the consultation, 160 representations were received, including four standard template submissions and six individual responses.

Members were advised that any new or amended fees must take effect no later than 23^rd September 2025 and that the Committee must advise of the date.

In response to a question from the Committee, Ms Goldsmith advised that the fee review had considered figures from 2015 when the last fee review had taken place, and that this approach had been approved by external counsel. The fee review of 2015 had not been challenged at that time.

Katherine Walter, a representative  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16