The Licensing Committee of Wiltshire Council convened on Monday, 17 June 2024, to discuss various updates and initiatives, including the Safer Streets Fund, taxi licensing changes, and the review of the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy. Key decisions were made regarding the continuation of the Safer Streets Fund initiative and the commencement of a consultation process for the new Statement of Licensing Policy.

Safer Streets Fund Update

Stephen Melville, Safer Streets Co-Ordinator from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), provided an overview of the Safer Streets Fund initiative. Launched in 2020, the fund has seen £120 million invested through four rounds, with a fifth round starting in July 2024. Wiltshire and Swindon secured just under £1 million for projects focusing on neighbourhood crime and violence against women and girls. Due to a funding reduction, the OPCC contributed £50,000 to mitigate the impact.

Key projects include Night Time Economy (NTE) Wardens for Trowbridge, Salisbury, and CCTV installations in Chippenham and Salisbury. Concerns were raised about the lack of CCTV funding for Trowbridge, which Melville promised to address. The committee resolved to receive a further update in September 2024.

Taxi Licensing Update

Tom Ince, Principal Compliance Officer, highlighted several updates from the Taxi Licensing Team. Since December 2023, the team processed 21 new licence applications and 81 renewals. The introduction of a single licensing zone for hackney carriages in Wiltshire from 1 April 2024 aims to reduce 'dead' miles and increase work opportunities. Despite some pushback from drivers in the South area, the committee noted the positive reception of changes to tinted window requirements and ongoing efforts to improve accessibility at taxi ranks.

Public Protection Licensing Team Update

John Carter, Head of Service – Public Protection, provided an update on the Public Protection Licensing Team. The licensing fees and charges for 2024/25 were confirmed, and the team is transitioning to a new database, Arcus Global, to streamline licensing processes. The committee discussed the impact of new legislation, such as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill and the Animals (Penalty Notices) Act 2022, on local licensing practices.

Statement of Licensing Policy

Claire Francis, Public Protection Manager – Community Protection, introduced the draft Statement of Licensing Policy for 2024-2029. The committee approved the commencement of a six-week consultation process to gather feedback from stakeholders, including licence holders, police, fire and rescue services, businesses, and residents. The findings will be reviewed at the next committee meeting in June 2024.

Other Updates

The committee also received an update from the Passenger Transport Team, noting the successful implementation of the QRoutes software for planning transport routes. The team managed to save around £150,000 per annum by optimizing routes and reducing the number of taxi journeys.

The meeting concluded with the committee noting the future meeting dates and agreeing to receive further updates on the discussed initiatives in subsequent meetings.