The Licensing Committee is scheduled to meet to discuss and review the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, and to set the fees and charges for the 2026/2027 financial year. The committee will also review the minutes of previous Licensing Sub-Committee meetings.

Taxi Policy

The committee will be presented with the consultation responses to the revised Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy. The Department for Transport (DFT) published its Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Best Practice Guidance for Licensing Authorities in England in November 2023, which included guidance to help councils set their local policy.

The consultation, which ran from 13 June to 25 July 2025, sought feedback from licensed drivers, vehicle proprietors, operators, residents, Essex Police, the council's vehicle testing garage, and Essex County Councils Safeguarding team. According to the report pack, 117 visitors accessed the consultation portal, and 28 responses were received, in addition to a written response from Trebble-Twenty Cars & Couriers Ltd.

The report pack indicates that the responses received generally related to:

• The introduction of the Licensing Points Based Enforcement System, particularly for points being awarded for failures at vehicle tests, disproportionate impact on larger operators and the rights of appeal.
• Support for the introduction of electronic payments in vehicles.
• The introduction of vehicle emission standards.

Following the consultation, officers reviewed the policy and made comments and amendments. The report pack states that the Licensing Points Based Enforcement System was introduced to ensure consistency in dealing with licensing indiscretions. The period that points are effective for has been reduced to 24 months, and the number of matters that points can be awarded for has been reduced or simplified.

The DFT's recommendation that drivers should undertake a walkaround check before a vehicle is used has been included as a condition of vehicle licences, including a model vehicle check list for use, including a condition that requires the check lists are retained as proof they are undertaken regularly.

Appendix A, Assessment of Previous Convictions, of the policy has been updated to reflect the Institute of Licensing suitability criteria, including more detailed explanations of offences. Specific changes have been made to motoring convictions, introducing when a driver reaches 7 or more penalty points, they should undertake and pass a driver awareness/assessment, as an additional step to defer the need to attend a sub committee as an initial intervention.

The report pack states that it is intended that the new policy will take effect from 1 November 2025, with a three-month lead in period before the application of:

• Implementation of the Licensing Points Based Enforcement System.
• Electronic payments.
• Introduction of emission standards (2 years for existing vehicles).
• Vehicle testing frequency.
• Vehicle walkaround checks by drivers.
• Non-use of Magnetic door signs.

The committee will be asked to agree that the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy as an Appendix 3 be adopted and will come into effect from the 1 November 2025.

Licensing Fees and Charges

The committee will consider a report that sets out the process and methodology for setting licence fees associated with licence applications under the remit of the Licensing Committee. The report proposes the licensing fees for consultation where necessary for the 2026/2027 financial year.

The report pack notes that most licence applications attract a fee, and different licensing regimes have different ways in which the fees are set, which generally is by one of three ways:

• A statutory set fee.
• A locally set fee that has by statute, a capped maximum amount.
• A locally set fee with no maximum cap.

With the exception of the statutory set fees, any fee charged must be based on cost recovery, and no profit can be made on the licence fee income.

The report pack states that a set of licensing trading accounts have been prepared which have included the cost of providing each area of licensing based on the percentage of time officers spend on each activity, against the income against each area. Based on the trading accounts the proposed fees and charges for the 2026/2027 period are attached as Appendix 2. It is intended that this fee change will come into effect from 1 April 2026.

The committee will be asked to agree the proposed fees and charges as set out in Appendix 1 for the 2026/2027 financial year for the relevant licensing functions.

Licensing Sub-Committee Minutes

The committee will review the minutes of the following Licensing Sub-Committee meetings:

• 24 April 2025 This concerned an application from Lidl Great Britain Ltd for a new premises licence at Wates Way Ind. Estate (Albert Works), Ongar Road, Brentwood CM15 9TB. The report pack states that the sub-committee:

  had given careful consideration to the application including (i) the case put forward by the applicant's representative at the hearing and (ii) the representations (all of which were objections to the application) which had been made in writing by local residents and which in the case of one objector were amplified and expanded on at the hearing.

• 8 May 2025 (two meetings)

  • This concerned an application from Matthew Aarons for a new premises licence at Country Cafe, 49 High Street, Ingatestone CM4 0AU.

  • This concerned an application from Nikesh Patel on behalf of The Hideout West Horndon Ltd. to vary the premises licence at The Hideout, 56 Station Road, West Horndon CM13 3TW. The report pack states that the sub-committee:

    had given careful consideration to the application including (i) the case put forward by the applicant at the hearing and (ii) the representations (all of which were objections to the application) which had been made in writing by local residents and amplified in the course of the hearing.

• 11 June 2025 (two meetings) These concerned the determination of two Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers licences. The report pack notes that under section 51 (private hire vehicles) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 the council cannot grant a licence unless it is satisfied that:

  the applicant is a fit and proper person to hold a driver's licence.

• 23 July 2025 These concerned the determination of two Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers licences. The report pack notes that under section 51 (private hire vehicles) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 the council cannot grant a licence unless it is satisfied that:

  the applicant is a fit and proper person to hold a driver's licence.

• 4 August 2025 This concerned an application from Woods Whur Solicitors on behalf of K Hatch Ltd. to vary the premises licence at Kelvedon Hall, Kelvedon Hall Lane, Kelvedon Hatch CM14 5TN. The report pack states that the sub-committee:

  considered the variation application and agenda papers, as well as the supplementary papers and recently submitted updates. They also considered all of the oral representations made at the hearing.

• 22 September 2025 This concerned an application from Matthew Redgrave for a new premises license at Ped's Pizza, Warley HQ, Eagle Way, Warley CM13 3BW. The report pack states that the sub-committee:

  is aware that it must act to promote the licensing objectives as set out in the Licensing Act 2003 and that any decision it takes, or conditions which it attaches to a license, must be appropriate to promote those objectives.