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.