Agenda item

The Committee gave consideration to a report of the Trading Standards and Licensing Manager which covered the findings of the Greater Manchester (GM) consultation relating to Minimum Licensing Standards for Private Hire and Hackney drivers, vehicles and operators.

Minimum Licensing Standards for the Greater Manchester Local Authorities represented a means of achieving a range of shared goals which included:

·         Improving public safety.

·         Helping deliver clean air and reducing carbon emissions.

·         Supporting the locally licensed hackney and private hire trades.

·         Complying with the Governments statutory guidance on safeguarding.

The GM approach looked to provide:

·         The public with a safe, visible and high-quality hackney and private hire services.

·         The hackney and private hire trade with clarity over what the required standards would be over the long term, and through the GM Clean Air Plan, with unprecedented investment to help renew the fleet.

·         Local Authorities with the continued regulatory role in relation to driver, vehicle and operator licensing whilst retaining scope to exceed the Minimum Licensing Standards as agreed locally by elected Members.

The proposed Minimum Licensing Standards covered four main areas:

Drivers: Common standards of DBS checks, medicals, local knowledge, English language proficiency, driver training and dress code.

Vehicles: Vehicle emission standards of Euro IV for petrol engines and Euro VI for diesel from 2021 with an ambition to zero emission capable vehicles by 2029. Age policy of under-five at first licensing and licensed until ten years old. All hackney carriages to be black and private hire vehicles white. Hackney carriages to be all wheelchair accessible. Common livery, CCTV in vehicles and other design and licensing requirements.

Operators: Private hire operators and base staff to have basic DBS checks. Updated conditions and record keeping requirements.

Local authorities: Common timescales for submitting applications and receiving granted ones. A common enforcement approach and a framework to which fees will be set.

Members were informed that along with the four main areas, GM were to propose a road map to reduce harmful vehicle emissions with the aim of an entire Zero Emission capable fleet (ZEC) by 2029 that would support the Clean Air Plan. The Government had announced plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles from as early as 2032 with a timeline as followed:

·         2025 – all new to licence vehicles need to be ZEC.

·         2028 – all licensed vehicles need to be ZEC.

·         2029 – an entirely ZEC Taxi/Private Hire Vehicles fleet across GM.

Members were informed that around 1700 responses had been received for the consultation on the GM Minimum Licensing Standards with 59% of responses being from the public, 21% from private hire drivers and 14% from hackney drivers. 94% of the public agreed with the proposed driver standards in contrast to the 58% of hackney drivers and 57% of private hire drivers. For vehicle standards, 88% of the public responses were supportive whilst CCTV and accessible vehicles were all supported by the public. Overall, only 23% of hackney and 24% of private hire drivers agreed. This figure changed when the drivers leased vehicles (37% and 22% respectively). For operator standards 94% of the public responses were in favour and 67% and 65% for respective hackney and private hire drivers agreed.

Members queried what could be done to push the Government to support compliant vehicles. It was noted that Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) were working on behalf of GM and had received £20 million for vehicle upgrades. It was expected that the funds would be available later on in the year. Officers were also waiting to hear information on the hardship Fund.

Members asked for and received clarification on vehicles that would not meet the policy due to the colour. It was noted that Officers would not make a vehicle change due to its colour. There had been twelve responses in regard to colour with drivers wanting to wait for funding to be available. Members commented that reassurance funding and not retrospective funding was wanted before drivers made decisions on upgrading the vehicle.

Members referenced vehicles that would reach the upper age limit before the grants were agreed and suggested that a six-month extension be allowed to enable drivers to apply for funding. Sign off of the funding would be done in July 2021 and then passed on to Government, pending all 10 GM Local Authorities to be in agreement.

RESOLVED that:

1.    The findings of the GM consultation be noted.

2.    Vehicles that reach the upper age limit before the closure of the funding opportunities be extended until 31^st December 2021 to allow drivers to apply for grants to upgrade non-compliant vehicles.

3.    Consideration of the vehicle colour policy be deferred to a later meeting.