The Buckinghamshire Council Licensing (Public Protection) Committee met on 17 June 2025, and agreed to launch a public consultation on a new mobile home site licensing fee policy. Councillor Chris Chilton was appointed as Vice Chairman of the Committee.

Mobile Home Fees

The committee approved a recommendation to launch a public consultation on the draft mobile home site licensing fee policy outlined in Appendix 1 of the agenda. The aim of the policy is to set consistent fees across the Buckinghamshire Council area, allowing the council to recover the costs of administering the mobile home site licensing regime, as permitted by the Mobile Homes Act 2013¹.

Currently, only the legacy Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils have set fees, while Wycombe District and Aylesbury Vale District Council's do not. There are 111 licensed sites that would be classed as relevant protected sites² in Buckinghamshire.

The proposed fee structure involves banding fees based on the size of the site, measured by the number of mobile homes permitted. There are two exemptions to the annual fees:

• Sites with five or fewer units
• Sites solely occupied by a single family and not run for financial gain

The consultation will be sent to all site licence holders, and made available online.

Councillor Robin Stuchbury asked for clarification on whether the fees applied to park homes as well as caravan sites. Charlie Robinson, Environmental Protection Team Leader, confirmed that park homes and static mobile homes are all classed as mobile home sites under the legislation and would be captured by the fees policy.

Councillor Mahboob Hussain OBE JP asked whether the fees covered enforcement and legal action. Charlie Robinson clarified that the fees can cover compliance work, such as inspections, but not enforcement action. However, the council can recover enforcement costs through the service of notices and legal proceedings.

Councillor Matthew Hind asked whether the consultation would be sent to all 111 sites or just the 28 that would be newly affected by the fees. Charlie Robinson confirmed that all site licence holders would receive direct correspondence, regardless of whether they are in an exempted class.

Councillor Phil Gomm raised the issue of touring caravan sites becoming permanent caravan sites. Charlie Robinson explained that caravan site licensing is dependent on planning permission. A site needs planning permission for all-year-round permanent residential use in order to be licensed as such.

Councillor Dean Field asked how much revenue would be generated by the fees. Lindsey Vallis, Service Director for Transport and Regulatory Services, clarified that the fees are designed to be cost-neutral, covering the cost of administering the service.

Councillor Paul Kelly asked why it had taken so long to harmonise the fees across the council area. Jacqui Bromilow, Head of Regulatory Services, explained that the harmonisation of policies had been prioritised based on the number of people affected, and this policy affected a smaller number of people.

Councillor Robin Stuchbury asked whether the licensing team had been consulted about possible new sites in the emerging development plan for Buckinghamshire. Lindsey Vallis responded that the team worked closely with planning colleagues, but specific questions about the development plan should be directed to the planners.

Taxi Enforcement Update

Simon Gallacher, Principal Licensing Officer, presented an update on taxi and private hire licensing enforcement, covering the period from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025. Councillor Tuffail Hussain had declared a pecuniary interest in this item and left the room for its duration.

The report provided an overview of application outcomes, enforcement activity, service improvements, and relevant matters. Key points included:

• A slight increase of 2% in the overall number of licensed drivers, vehicles, and operators.
• 3,489 licensed drivers and 2,555 licensed vehicles as of 1 April 2025.
• Wheelchair accessible vehicles accounted for approximately 11% of the licensed fleet.
• The average processing time for vehicle applications was five working days.
• 32 driver licence applications were refused due to reasons such as motoring offences, safeguarding concerns, fraud, and violence.
• The service has been reviewing the online application process to make it simpler.
• The service received 312 complaints and incidents, with parking concerns being the most common.
• 18 driver licences and 26 vehicle licences were revoked during the period.
• The team has been working proactively, carrying out inspections and working with Thames Valley Police.
• The council successfully defended its decisions in five appeals, and three appellants withdrew their appeals.
• The service has been promoting the White Ribbon Campaign³ to address abuse and violence against women.

Councillor Chris Chilton thanked the team for keeping the public safe, but raised concerns about the number of drivers with similar profiles to those who had been refused or had their licences revoked. Simon Gallacher responded that the service uses the DBS update service and works closely with other agencies, such as Thames Valley Police, to ensure safeguards are in place. Lindsey Vallis added that the council uses a fit and proper framework to determine suitability for licensing.

Councillor Matthew Hind praised the update on the White Ribbon campaign and asked whether a report could be brought back to the appropriate select committee on how it was rolling out around safeguarding.

Councillor Matthew Hind also asked whether the work that was done following the 2013 CSE inquiry into taxi licensing was still ongoing. Lindsey Vallis confirmed that the work was still ongoing, and that all taxi drivers in Buckinghamshire receive safeguarding, CSE, and disability awareness training every three years.

Councillor Mahboob Hussain OBE JP asked whether the council's policies were aligned with neighbouring councils. Simon Gallacher responded that the policies were broadly aligned, with most authorities adopting the recommendations from the statutory standards issued in 2020.

Councillor Kelly asked how quickly someone could reapply for a licence after it had been revoked. Simon Gallacher responded that the council uses a scale of rehabilitation periods, with different set times before someone can reapply depending on the offence.

Councillor Dean Field asked whether there was a certain area within Buckinghamshire with a higher number of reported incidents. Simon Gallacher responded that the complaints are triaged and the most serious cases are dealt with first. He added that the complaints help shape the enforcement activity.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday 17 July 2025, at 6.30pm.