Taxi Driver Online

The wording in section 65 paragraph 4 of the act does not state that objections need to be considered by the committee, just that they need to be considered.

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Grandad,

So once a licensing committee has made a decision you are implying civil servants now have the right to amend that decision?

Interesting.

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IDFIMH

No, The committee do not even make the original decision. The whole process has been given delegated powers. I did question this decision at the time it was made but I was told that it could be delegated. If this is not the case then I could really do with knowing exactly what the process should be BEFORE the consultation ends and it is just passed through.

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Grandad,

I don't know of any licensing authority that allows civil servants to decide of the level of taxi fares in their area. What on earth are people voting councillors in for?

Quite how anyone can follow the process and see how their objections are dealt with heavens only knows. A complete total lack of transparency.

Open local government my arse.

If it was my area the LGO would have sorted this out many years ago.

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IDFIMH

So it went to committee in 2014.

https://democracy.melton.gov.uk/Data/Li ... .01.14.pdf

I would ask to see the minutes of any committee that confirms the delegation of powers to civil servants since that date.

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IDFIMH

It also went to committee in 2019 but the officers and committee made such a mess of it that they changed it after that. I don't remember seeing a report on this but I am told that it was passed by full Council.
The last time that the licensing committee actually met was in June 2019 when they voted to defer the meeting regarding the tariff review. This meeting never did re convene because the process ran over the 2 months time limit for the consideration of the objections and the whole process was ditched. So the decision for future reviews to be by delegated authority was made after this date but I haven't yet found out when.

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Grandad,

Found it.
It was at the annual meeting which was conducted via zoom. it is in chapter 2 part 8 paragraph 1.9. I doubt that anyone actually read the full report because it was very long. I certainly missed it.
https://democracy.melton.gov.uk/ieListD ... r=4&Info=1

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Grandad,

Our Council delegated to Officers the power to agree to increasing hackney carriage tariffs.

So we have a case here then where the ice cream man sends in a proposal, that proposal is agreed by civil servants behind closed doors with no further consultation with other members of the trade, then it is advertised and any objections are discussed behind closed doors once again by civil servants.

Basket case policies for basket case councils.

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IDFIMH

I was asked to help submit an application for the review, I did the last successful one in 2014, but because we are now Private Hire Mr ice cream man told me to keep my nose out. he says that I don't know anything and drivers who challenged him were told that they know nothing about business. So I have kept out of it.

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Grandad,

I had a word with the legal team this morning and explained that I did not think that it is correct that the director for the department should have delegated authority to decide on the initial submission and also consider the objections. You would think I was talking a foreign language. Eventually she said that the committee would have given the delegated authority for the original decision but the committee would have to consider objections. I pointed out that this is not what is in the scheme of delegation and that there is no way the committee could have given this authority because they have not had a meeting for 2 years. Again, i was speaking a foreign language. I told here that every licensing meeting since June 2019 had been cancelled citing that no decisions were needed. There had been some meetings held without other councillors being permitted to attend, without the public being allowed to attend and without minutes being taken. She looked genuinely shocked at this and said she would look into it. This afternoon an email has been received saying that the fare review is to be considered at the next committee meeting on June 17th.

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Grandad,

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IDFIMH

In respect of meeting timetables, it worth pointing out that emergency committee meetings happen all the time.

So if an application for a fare rise is proposed in the middle of the licensing meeting cycle, there is nothing stopping a special one issue committee meeting happening.

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IDFIMH

The meeting was this evening and the committee were given 3 options. They could refuse the request, accept the request or consider a new proposal that had been sent in. The debate can be viewed on line from tomorrow but basically the committee decided to dismiss the request in favour of putting the new proposal out to consultation. It was pointed out that the original proposal was using very old data for calculating the fares and the figure used for the cost of fuel was for a petrol engine at 90 pence per litre.
At the same meeting the new licensing policy was approved but I didn't hear that bit but at one point when they were discussing WAVs a Councillor said something about a local community group that were carrying out 8000 journey's per year for old people to go shopping or to the doctors etc. I will be having a listen to this tomorrow because as I see it that is an unlicensed taxi service and this Councillor is on the board of the group, or at least she was!!!

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Grandad,

Which reminds me, still haven't caught up with your speech, but a belated congratulations on the mayoralty, if that's the right word

Did watch the first bit, but was worried that your speech might cover the last 50 minutes or so of the video, and I'm not one for listening to political speeches these days

And still gobsmacked at how posh your predecessor sounded - could barely work out what he was saying at some points


What, you mean a CONFLICT OF INTEREST, or similar

Someone seemed to be arguing recently that such things just don't happen