Questions submitted by members of the public in writing by noon on the previous working day (for a period of up to 15 minutes).
Minutes:
Mrs Bellingham read out the following question on behalf of Starline Sussex:
As we have not received a response to the questions asked in our email detailing why we objected to the 37% increase (TFR8 refers) we ask again why you have not increased fees since 2016 and do you not think it would have been good practice and more manageable for operators/drivers and indeed the District Council to ensure the service paid for itself to pay a small increase each year rather than being hit with a huge 37% increase, which will inevitably have to be passed onto customers, during a recession and cost of living crisis and is a 37% increase going to be reflected in Hackney tariffs?
Cllr Ballantyne read out the following response:
The questions referred to are contained within the written objection response from Starline Sussex Limited to the recent public consultation exercise concerning the proposal to increase the fees and charges associated with hackney carriage and private hire licensing matters. The objection response is contained in full within today’s published papers at pages 37 and 38. All members of the General Licensing Committee have therefore had sight of this and indeed all other objections. It is entirely and solely a matter for the General Licensing Committee to give due consideration to matters raised in all objections received, and to ultimately determine whether an increase in fees and charges in respect of hackney carriage and private hire licensing is now appropriate.
With respect to whether the local hackney carriage tariff will increase, the setting of the tariff is a matter for the Council to determine following public consultation. An extensive public consultation exercise was undertaken during 2022 with a proposed increase in the tariff being agreed in principle by the General Licensing Committee on the 12 October 2022. No objections to the proposed increase in tariff were received and consequently a revised tariff came into effect on 4 November 2022. There has been no request from those involved in the hackney carriage trade to seek a further increase to the tariff.
Mrs Bellingham asked the following supplementary question:
As it is good practise to increase prices incrementally, why has there been no increase since 2016?
Mr Knowles-Ley stated that inflation has gone up 20.8% in the last three years, and that to increases fees every year since the Covid pandemic but have had a negative impact on the trade.
Cllr Ballantyne read out the following public question:
If charges do go up in some cases by 37% will some of this substantial increase in revenue be used to bring down new driver application processing times to a more realistic time scale?
Cllr Ballantyne then read out the following response:
Any increase to hackney carriage and private hire licensing fees and charges is solely to ensure that the costs incurred by the Council in carrying out its various statutory functions are fully covered by income generated by the associated application fees and charges. However, with respect to driver processing application times, prior to the end of 2023 there were a number of new driver applications to be processed, some of which had been received up to around 3 months earlier. However, I can confirm that presently the Council has 24 new driver applications to process, of which 21 are incomplete or awaiting further information to be provided, and 3 are yet to be reviewed, the oldest of which was received on the 12 February 2024. The Council continues to provide Knowledge Test sessions on two occasions each month, providing a total of 24 new test spaces. In addition, those seeking to re-sit the test are, where possible, being accommodated within these programmed test sessions. At the last test session held on 22 February 2024, only 9 out of 12 new candidates presented for a test, but 16 actually sat a test with 7 passing.