Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Cosgrove, Hamblett, Hindle and Harrison.

To Receive Declarations of Interest in any Contract or matter to be discussed at the meeting.

Public questions were submitted by Mr. Shazad Khadim, Chairman of the Oldham Private Hire Drivers Association (OPHDA), on behalf of local Association members

Question:

1. What is the formal complaint procedure for drivers wishing to raise concerns about the Licensing Team or an MOT station?

2. Can the Committee confirm whether the Moorhey Street MOT station operates independently and is not funded or subsidised by the Licensing Department?

3. Will the Committee consider involving the Association in live consultations to improve engagement with the trade?

4. Can an update be provided on the process for driver deactivation by operators such as Uber, and confirm whether this is being managed through official licensing procedures rather than unilateral operator decisions?

Response:

The Chair read out the following responses to the questions:

1.    For complaints relating to testing matters i.e. the vehicle test, testers or process at the test station itself, complaints can be sent to Moorhey Street at  taxitest@oldham.gov.uk. For complaints relating to the Licensing Team, application issues, payment issues or any other matter that doesn't relate to the test/test station, these can be sent to the Licensing Team at licensing@oldham.gov.uk. All complaints will be logged, investigated and responded to.

2.    The Licensing Service appoint the test station at Moorhey Street to carry out testing of vehicles that are, or proposed to be, licensed for private or public hire. The Licensing Service is a non-profit service and all costs associated must be recovered through fees. Fees are reviewed and set annually and the costs associated with Moorhey Street are included in that review. Whilst both Services are part of Oldham Council, they are two distinct service areas that work closely together to provide the best possible service to vehicle owners choosing to licence with Oldham.

3.    It is unclear the type of consultations the Association is referring to, there are no current consultations live that have been launched by the Licensing Service or Licensing Committee. Licensing engagement with the trade is undertaken via both private hire and hackney carriage trade forum meetings held quarterly. 

4.    Where a licensed driver is suspended for any reason, the operator is notified to ensure no unlicensed work can be carried out. When the suspension is lifted, notification is again sent to the operator so they can reinstate them on their system and allow them to resume work. How quickly individual operators pick these notifications up and action them is a matter for that operator and outside the control of the Licensing Service. 

The Minutes of the meeting held on 21^st October 2025 are attached for approval.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Committee, held on 21^st October 2025 be approved, as a correct record.

The Licensing Committee received a report of the Director of Environment which updated Members on the activities of the Licensing Team since the last meeting, in October 2025.

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 2025 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 seven hearings since April 2025.

Officers continue to advise and respond to complaints about licensed premises and undertake inspections to ensure compliance with conditions.

In terms of Taxi and Private Hire Licensing, there had been 1,556 new applications received for dual driver licences since April 2025.

The Service continues to receive high levels of dual driver applications. The Service is currently reviewing resources available to meet the continued demands due to the increase in applications and licence holders. The Licensing Service reception remains open five days per week, offering face to face assistance to applicants across all licensing functions.

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.

Following the last meeting of the Licensing Committee, held on 21^st October 2025, the Licensing Service was continuing to work closely with the taxi testing depot at Moorhey Street.

A complaints system had been introduced mid-2025, allowing vehicle owners with testing relating queries or complaints to lodge these directly with the test station. Between 23^rd October 2025 and 11^th February 2026, a total of 10 complaints were lodged relating to testing matters.

Since April 2025 there have been 39 hearings before the Licensing Drivers Panel. As a result, nine drivers were granted licences, 13 were refused, four were suspended, eight had their licence revoked with immediate effect and five written warnings were issued.

Resolved:
that the report be noted.

The Licensing Committee received a report from the Director of Environment which asked that Members approve the request, detailed therein, for additional dates for driver panels to be added to the calendar of meetings, to deal with a backlog of applications.

The Committee was informed that presently, there are 38 applicants waiting to attend a Licensing Driver Panel. Due to the current number of scheduled meetings, and the need for existing licensed drivers to appear before the panel from time to time, applicants could be waiting for up to 12 months before they were invited to attend a meeting.

It was proposed that additional dates to carry out Licensing Driver Panel meetings be added to the Council’s calendar of meetings for the next municipal year, 2026/27, so that they can be utilised as needed.

This would help to reduce the wait time for applicants and ensure their cases were heard in a timely manner.

Resolved:

That the proposed additional dates for meetings of the Licensing Driver Panel, in 2026/27, as detailed in the submitted report, be approved.