Agenda and draft minutes
PDF 198 KBVenue: JR Clynes Building, Cultural Quarter, Greaves Street, Oldham, OL1 1AL
Contact: Constitutional Services
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Apologies For Absence Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Sa Hussain, Sh Hussain and Tarbuck.
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Declarations of Interest To Receive Declarations of Interest in any Contract or matter to be discussed at the meeting. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest received. |
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Urgent Business Urgent business, if any, introduced by the Chair Minutes: There were no items of urgent business received. |
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Public Question Time To receive Questions from the Public, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution. Minutes: Two public questions had been received from Mr Abdul Rehman Khayal. The questions were as follows:
1. In September 2026. Total 400 taxis and private hires vehicles were tested. 180 vehicles failed for minor faults which needs advice only I give few examples, Door not locked or sight rubber damaged Operation no description given Plate loosed Inner fabric slightly damaged Brackets loose Horns Belts condition These are few examples I given and so many others trivial matters which is nothing do with mechanical failure or concerning health and safety issues you can check or examine the reasons for failure
The following response was provided by the Chair:
Vehicles licensed for private or public hire with Oldham Council are subject to annual inspections at the Council's own Moorhey Street Depot, and mid-year private MOT's for vehicles over 3 years of age.
Annual inspections carried out by our Council test station are done to MOT standards in addition to compliance checks as outlined in our Vehicle Testing Criteria document, published on the Council's website.
If a vehicle fails the annual inspection for any item, and the vehicle owner does not agree that it constitutes an MOT or compliance item, they can raise concerns through the relevant complaints process, published on the Council's website and available in the waiting area at the depot.
2. What measures council taking board crossing vehicles actives? They are parking on hackney ranks ranks, disabled bays, on double yellows lines and parking parallel with hackney ranks
The following response was provided by the Chair:
Cross-border working is an issue faced by licensing authorities throughout the country. Oldham Council engages with partners at other Council's, Transport for Greater Manchester, Department for Transport and other government bodies to lobby for change and stop the practice. Until legislative reform comes in, the Council has limited powers to deal with these drivers and vehicles.
The Licensing Service is currently implementing a staffing restructure which creates additional resource in the service. Following recruitment to vacant posts and training, further work on tackling local issues relating to ranks, disabled bays and more will be undertaken regularly in support of our locally licensed drivers. |
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Minutes of Previous Meeting The Minutes of the meting held on 16th June 2026 are attached for approval. Minutes: RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 16th June 2026 be approved as a correct record.
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Committee Report - Licensing Update 20/10/2026 The reason for this report is to request that
Members note the activities of the Licensing Team since the last
meeting. Minutes: The Committee received a report of the Director of Environment which updated Members on the activities of the Licensing Team since the last update in April 2026.
The Council, acting in its role as Licensing Authority carries out a range of statutory functions including taxi and private hire licensing, alcohol, entertainment and late-night refreshment, gambling, and street trading. The submitted report sets out the activities of the licensing team since April 2026 together with outlining the challenges and demands on the service.
The Licensing team continued to advise, issue, and ensure compliance with a range of premises licences issued under the Licensing Act 2003 and it was noted that there had been two hearings since April 2026.
Officers continued to advise and respond to complaints about licensed premises and undertook inspections to ensure compliance with conditions. In terms of Taxi and Private Hire Licensing, there had been 725 new applications received for dual driver licences since April 2026.
The Service continued to receive high levels of dual driver applications. A recently approved restructure was being implemented to increase the resources and resilience within the service.
The rise in licensed drivers continues to lead to a rise in private hire vehicle applications. The Committee approved the requirement for mid-year tests to be carried out by any DVSA approved testing station, with first or annual tests being carried out at the Councils in-house testing depot, Moorhey Street.
The Committee was provided with the data on vehicle testing. Between April and October 2026 Hackney Carriages had a 58% pass rate and Private Hire had a 50% pass rate. Members were provided with a breakdown for reason for failures.
Since April 2026 there have been 36 hearings before the Licensing Drivers Panel. As a result, seven drivers were granted licences, eight were refused, seven were suspended, nine had their licence revoked with immediate effect, four written warnings were issued and one had no further action. In addition, there have been 10 delegated decisions made by Officers for urgent matters.
RESOLVED that the report be noted.
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