The Licensing Committee of Oldham Council was scheduled to consider an update on the activities of the Licensing Team and review the composition of its various panels. The meeting was also scheduled to address any urgent business and public questions.

Licensing Update

The committee was scheduled to receive a report providing an overview of the Licensing Team's activities since April 2026. This report was intended to inform members of the statutory functions undertaken by the council, including taxi and private hire licensing, alcohol, entertainment, late-night refreshment, gambling, and street trading. The report was also expected to outline the challenges and demands faced by the service.

Within the report, specific details were scheduled to be presented regarding alcohol, entertainment, and late-night refreshment licensing. This included information on premises licences issued under the Licensing Act 2003. Two hearings were scheduled to be detailed: one for Dessert Point, 793 Ashton Road, where a premises licence without alcohol was to be considered for grant with amended timings, and another for Northern Roots, Kings Road, where a premises licence with alcohol was to be considered for grant as applied for. The report was also to cover ongoing advice, complaint responses, and inspections related to licensed premises.

A significant portion of the update was scheduled to focus on taxi and private hire licensing. The report was to detail the high volume of new applications for dual driver licences received since April 2026, alongside current licence numbers for dual drivers, school contract drivers, private hire vehicles, private hire operators, and hackney carriages, with comparative figures from previous periods. The report was also to address the rise in licensed drivers and private hire vehicle applications, and the requirement for mid-year tests for vehicles. Data on vehicle testing at Moorhey Street, including pass and fail rates and reasons for failure, was to be presented. Furthermore, the report was to outline the outcomes of hearings before the Drivers Panel, including licences that were to be granted, refused, suspended, revoked, or result in a written warning.

The report was also scheduled to highlight future challenges and changes in licensing legislation and guidance, as well as national uncertainty surrounding taxi and private hire licensing reform. It was to mention ongoing work with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) concerning the Hackney Support Fund and the development of the Private Hire Funding scheme. Current and upcoming projects were also to be discussed, including the review of the Statement of Licensing Policy, the procurement and implementation of a new licensing software solution, and the potential procurement of a new supplier for taxi consumables.

Licensing Composition of Panels

The committee was scheduled to consider a report detailing the membership of the Licensing Driver Panel and Licensing Panels, along with future meeting dates for the 2026/27 period. The report was to propose the membership for the Licensing Driver Panel, with the Chair to be appointed at the start of each meeting, and other Licensing Committee members to serve as substitutes. The membership for the Licensing Panels was to be submitted in a supplementary report. The scheduled meeting dates for both the Licensing Driver Panel and Licensing Panels were also to be noted.