The Committee approved a 2.2% increase to taxi licensing fees and charges for drivers, and recommended the increase for approval by the Executive for vehicles and operators. The Committee also noted several amendments to the Council's Taxi Licensing Policy.

Taxi Licensing Fees and Charges

The Committee considered a report on Proposed Taxi Licensing Fees and Charges 2025/26 for the year 2025/26. Jason Agar, the Taxi Licensing Lead, presented the report. It proposed an increase to fees and charges of 2.2% for private hire drivers, vehicles and operators. Mr Agar explained that the 2.2% increase was in line with inflation and was being applied to all other income streams in the Council’s budget. The report noted that there had been four objections to the proposed fee increase, on the grounds that:

• Fees were already too expensive;
• There was increased competition from other local authorities;
• It was a difficult time for the trade;
• The cost of living / inflation was impacting the trade; and
• There were already high costs associated with becoming licensed - such as high insurance and vehicle maintenance costs.

The report explained that although Milton Keynes had generally higher fees than neighbouring authorities, the additional income was essential in order to deal with the high number of out-of-town vehicles working in Milton Keynes that created problems. Mr Agar stated that:

Whilst out of town drivers / vehicles comprise of 48% of vehicles / drivers working in Milton Keynes, they actually incur 54% of all licensing breaches.

Mr Agar explained that these breaches included:

plying for hire; refusing to take an assistance dog(s) / wheelchair users; vehicle defectives (including bald tyres, lights not working, vehicle damage); badges / plates / door signs not on display; expired licences; and obstruction /congestion / illegal parking - particularly at Station Square.

The Committee approved the proposed increase to fees and charges for drivers, and recommended that the Executive approve the increase for vehicles and operators.

Taxi Licensing Policy

The Committee also received three briefing notes about minor changes that were made to the Taxi Licensing Policy. Jason Agar, the Taxi Licensing Lead, presented each of the notes.

Vehicle Specifications

The Committee considered a Briefing Note on changes made to the section of the Taxi Licensing Policy about Vehicle Specifications. This followed informal concerns that had been received from the taxi trade that the Council was being inconsistent in the way that it was applying the policy, and that officers were using discretion when they should not be doing so. The Taxi Licensing Service, after receiving legal advice, had agreed that the policy should be amended to remove the officer discretion, so that the number of passengers that could be licensed to be carried in a vehicle would never be more or less than the number specified in the vehicle's V5 document, also known as the vehicle logbook. The Committee noted the changes that had been made.

Fire Extinguishers

The Committee received a Briefing Note about changes that had been made to the section of the Taxi Licensing Policy about fire extinguishers. It was noted that the policy had been amended in response to new guidance from the Department for Transport and the National Fire Chiefs Council which recommended that fire extinguishers should only be carried in licensed vehicles if drivers have had training in how to use them. Because the Council did not offer training in the use of fire extinguishers, the requirement for private hire vehicles to carry a fire extinguisher had been removed from the policy. The briefing note stated:

Hackney Carriage Byelaw F3(h) lawfully requires all hackney carriage vehicles to carry a fire extinguisher. Section C16.1 of MKCC’s Taxi Policy states that a licensed vehicle must carry a 0.75kg dry powder fire extinguisher. MKCC does not provide fire extinguisher training to drivers. Therefore, as a result of this new guidance, which is supported by the National Fire Chief Council, a minor variation under section 5.1.1 of the Taxi Policy will be submitted to the Cabinet Member and Chair/Vices Chairs of the Regulatory Committee for their consideration to remove the conditional requirement for a licenced private hire vehicle to carry a fire extinguisher.

It was also noted that while the policy now stated that all licensed vehicles must carry a first aid kit that is in date, it was now silent on whether fire extinguishers should be carried in private hire vehicles. The Committee agreed that this should be made clear in the policy, and agreed to add wording to state that the Council still recommended that they be carried if the driver has been appropriately trained in their use.

Penalty Points

The Committee received a Briefing Note about changes that had been made to the section of the Taxi Licensing Policy about penalty points. It was noted that the policy had been amended in response to new guidance from the Department for Transport, which recommended that points should remain on a driver's record for three years, and on an operator's record for five years. The Committee noted this amendment to the policy.

Street Trading Consent

The Committee considered the Minutes of a meeting of the Regulatory Sub-Committee that took place on 6 November 2024.

Ozzie's Kebabs

The Sub-Committee had considered an application for a street trading consent renewal for Ozzie’s Kebabs, which trades on Kensington Drive in Great Holm. Mr O Bez, the applicant, was represented by Mr H Mather. Great Holm and Loughton Parish Council had objected to the application. Mr Sloan, the Principal Licensing Officer, explained that the Parish Council had objected to the renewal at a meeting of the Sub-Committee on 3 June 2024, which had resulted in a six month consent being granted with additional conditions. The Parish Council's submission had stated that:

The Sub-Committee noted the submission from Loughton and Great Holm Parish Council which primarily related to concerns regarding the inadequacy of the trading area; the trading vehicle caused a danger to pedestrians and road users; the trader continued to enter the car park via the exit; and it had recommended that the trading hours be reduced to 18:30 hours to 22:30 hours, Monday to Sunday. It had been noted by the Sub-Committee that the Parish Council had not attended the meeting to articulate their concerns.

Mr Mather explained to the Sub-Committee that he had been trading at the location for 25 years and that the reduction in hours would not be viable. The Sub-Committee heard from eight members of the public who all supported Mr Bez's application. They told the Sub-Committee that he was:

an exemplary trader who was friendly and courteous to all his patrons; the food was of high quality; and he always maintained a clean and tidy site.

The Sub-Committee granted the application with the original hours of trading requested.