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Powys fee increases to be decided using "experts' toolkit"
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Author:  StuartW [ Thu Dec 05, 2019 12:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Powys fee increases to be decided using "experts' toolkit"
Not much to see here, apart from the experts' 'toolkit' used to quantify the increases :roll:

Which I suspect is similar to a 'fare formula'.

Don't know about Wales, but I'm guessing that if you tried to develop a formula for the whole country it would underline how messy the whole thing is. So developing one methodology for the whole country would be effectively impossible, I suspect.


Taxi licence fees could be rising next year across Powys

https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/1808 ... oss-powys/

TAXI licence fees could be going up if councillors vote in favour of a price hike.

At tomorrow’s (Thursday, December 5) meeting of the Planning, Rights of Way and Taxi Licensing committee, senior licensing officer, Susan Jones, will be stating the case in favour of the rises.

Ms Jones says in her report: “The committee is requested to consider the approval of revised fees for the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Regime, notably operator, vehicle, driver licences and tests.”

Ms Jones adds: “These fees have been calculated using a toolkit bt the All Wales Licensing Expert Panel.

“As in previous years the toolkit has been used with assistance from our finance team.”

“The fee toolkit calculates the cost of several different elements of the service that figure into the final total figure.”

The changes are:

    • Cost of material such as making the plate and/or badge
    • Cost of processing the licence
    • Cost of sub-committee hearings to consider individual license/application
    • Administration costs such as training, meeting, questions, complaints and compliance checks.

The changes to the fees are:

    • Vehicles (1 year) Hackney carriage private hire from £138 to £148
    • Driver licence (3 years) from £247.50 to £260, and this does not include the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check fee.
    • Driver licence (1 year) from £140 to £150, and this does not include the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check fee.
    • Private Hire Operators (5 years) from £398 to £405, again this does not include the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check fee.
    • Knowledge/Competency test from £38 to £40.

If agreed the new fees would start from April 2020.
Author:  grandad [ Thu Dec 05, 2019 2:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Powys fee increases to be decided using "experts' toolki
When I complained about our fees a few years ago, which led to me resigning from the Council at that time, our Council used a "toolkit" to set the fees the following year which resulted in a reduction and then a reduction the following year. They tried to use the same toolkit last year and couldn't get it to give anything like the result that they expected so since then the fees have not changed.
Author:  Sussex [ Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Powys fee increases to be decided using "experts' toolki
Quote:
Don't know about Wales, but I'm guessing that if you tried to develop a formula for the whole country it would underline how messy the whole thing is. So developing one methodology for the whole country would be effectively impossible, I suspect.

But it shouldn't be messy, it should be simple.

There are many many things that are the same cost throughout the UK, can't see why licensing fees should be different.

If a council wants to have loads more enforcement or loads more bureaucratic admin, then let the council tax money pay for it.
Author:  Sussex [ Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Powys fee increases to be decided using "experts' toolki
Quote:
• Cost of sub-committee hearings to consider individual license/application

Well I'm not sure about that. [-X
Author:  StuartW [ Sun Jan 19, 2020 4:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Powys fee increases to be decided using "experts' toolki
Only one objection to Powys taxi licence fees increase

https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/1817 ... -increase/

ONE taxi driver objected to taxi licence fees going up from April.

At Powys County Council’s Planning, Taxi Licensing and Rights of Way committee on Thursday, January 16, councillors were given feedback following the 28 day consultation period, after councillors voted in favour of the increases at their last meeting.

Senior licensing officer, Sue Jones, said: “This report is just to update you.

“The notices of the fees were posted in the press as is needed by statute and we had one objection from Graham Davies, of Brecon Taxis.

“His points are: that the rises are above the level of inflation and don’t take into consideration the running costs of operating a taxi business.

“He has acknowledged that we are taking views from the trade on taxi fares which are regulated by us.

“He mentioned that taxi officers are not seen on the street and he wanted to see the formulas and spreadsheets.

“I responded to him and signposted him to the spreadsheets we use and referred him to Information Compliance which suggested making an FOI (Freedom of Information Request.)

“He hasn’t actually made one yet.”

“I have pointed out the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes that is not apparent to him and more effort will be made to get out more.

“I’m quite happy that the fees reflect the cost of the service.”

Cllr E Michael Jones (Independent – Old Radnor) moved that the report was accepted and was voted through unanimously.

The fees were set at the commitee’s last meeting on December 5, 2019.

They are based on figures of the time PCC took to process applications from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019.

During that period PCC received applications from just over 60 new drivers.

Driver renewals are on a three year cycle and around 150 were renewed last year.
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