The Head of Housing and Regulatory Services introduced the report and outlined the previous actions taken by the Committee in extending the permitted age of taxi vehicles. As no concerns had been raised during the initial pilot or extension, it was recommended that the vehicle age policy be amended permanently. A public consultation would be required, with the results to be presented to the Committee before a final decision was made.

In response to questions, the Head of Housing and Regulatory Services stated that any other suggested changes to the policy could be raised within an individual’s consultation response and that ending the consultation on a Monday would be raised with the relevant officer.

The Committee expressed support for the proposed consultation, as the vehicle compliance checks were thorough and took into account the vehicles condition and as Covid-19 had affected car usage so older vehicles had lower mileages. The ability for individuals to make suggestions on further policy changes as part of submitting a response was emphasised.

RESOLVED: That a public consultation take place across a 6-week period, to consider permanently changing the entry level requirement for all vehicles to 4 years, 60,000 miles and exit level of 8 years for private hire vehicles as outlined in point 3.1 of the report.