Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Civic Suite, Castle House, Great North Road, Newark NG24 1BY

Contact: Helen Brandham  Email: helen.brandham@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk 01636 655248

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Declarations of Interests from Members and Officers

Minutes:

NOTED       that no Member or Officer declared any interest pursuant to any statutory requirement in any matter discussed or voted upon at the meeting.

2.

Declaration of any Intention to Record the Meeting

Minutes:

The Chairman advised that the proceedings were being recorded by the Council and that the meeting was being livestreamed and broadcast from the Civic Suite, Castle House.

3.

Minutes of the Meeting Held on 11 March 2021 pdf icon PDF 226 KB

Minutes:

AGREED      that the Minutes of the meeting held 11 March 2021 were a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

4.

Forward Plan - June 2021 to May 2022 pdf icon PDF 234 KB

Minutes:

AGREED      the Forward Plan for the period 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2022 be noted.

5.

First Aid Training for Taxi Drivers pdf icon PDF 261 KB

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report presented by the Business Manager – Public Protection in relation to the proposal to deliver first aid training to Newark & Sherwood licensed taxi drivers.  In presenting the report the Business Manager advised that since the Agenda had been published he had been able to confirm that the 115 licensed ambulance drivers referred to in the report were already first aid trained.

 

It was reported that taxi drivers were often present within local communities and town centres and could often be first on scene if an incident occurred.  Paragraph 3 of the report set out 4 options for Members consideration as to how training might be delivered and the costs associated thereof.

 

In considering the report and the options available Members agreed that they would wish to offer licensed drivers Option 1 – provision of a venue, a trainer at no cost to themselves.  They also agreed that the 3 hour course at a cost to the Council of £2,190 would be the preferred option.

 

AGREED      (unanimously) that Option 1 (3 hour course) be the preferred first aid training offered to licensed taxi drivers.

6.

Training for Members pdf icon PDF 232 KB

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report presented by the Business Manager – Public Protection in relation to an update on the relevant training Members were required to undertake prior to participating in sub-committees to deal with both taxi licensing and licensing matters under the Licensing Act 2003. 

 

It was reported that the specific training provided by the Council was supplemented by bespoke Licensing Act training delivered on a countywide basis, noting this had not taken place during 2020 due to the Pandemic.  Paragraph 3 of the report set out the proposals to ensure that Members of both the General Purposes & Licensing Committees received the necessary training and information to ensure they were kept up-to-date with any changes to policy or legislation.  This was to be done by use of an online Resource Pack and ‘bite size training sessions’ included on committee agendas. 

 

AGREED      (unanimously) that the proposed training initiatives be approved.

7.

Update on Performance and Enforcement Matters pdf icon PDF 245 KB

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report presented by the Senior Licensing Officer in relation to the activity and performance of the Licensing Team which included details of current ongoing enforcement issues.

 

Information contained in the report related to the number of applications for grants and renewals of licences for Hackney Carriage; Private Hire; and Ambulance Drivers together with those for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles.  A note of ongoing enforcement activity was also listed with information as to what action had been taken to-date.

 

AGREED      (unanimously) that the report be noted.