Please find below the notes taken by the PH Ass at last Wednesday’s Forum. As each item was discussed twice (once in pre meeting, once in main meeting), these notes cover both. We don’t pretend that they are as accurate as the council’s minutes will be, nor as independent, but hopefully they will give licensed B&H owners and drivers an early indication of what was discussed in their names.

This was also the first meeting that representatives of the Afghan Taxi Association attended. The PH Association welcome them to the party, and wish them well for the future.

Reps at the meeting: PH Ass, United Taxi Group, GMB, Unite, Arab Taxi Forum, Afghan Taxi Ass, City Cabs, Radio Cabs, Streamline Taxis, Independent Hackney Drivers, NPTTU, British Gas, Sussex Police, Council Officers, Council Licensing Officers and Licensing Committee Chair.

1. Apologies

Apologies were received from the Disabled Federation and the Sudanese Taxi Forum.

2. Minutes from last meeting

Couple of words/phrases were changed in relation to the minutes of the Medical issue discussion.

3. Parking Enforcement

Despite accepting an invitation, and confirming through correspondence with the PH Ass, no-one from the council’s Parking Enforcement department could be bothered to turn up. What the PH Ass wanted to know was why that department has instigated a clamp down on drivers parked up whilst waiting for work. It would have also been helpful for the Hackney reps to ask details about the new enforcement camera which is going to be ticketing drivers blocking the top of Queen’s Road. Let’s hope we can get some answers at the next forum.

4. Southern Gas Networks

Rep from Southern Gas explained that Ditching Road is going to be blocked both ways between Warleigh and Upper Lewes Roads. It was also outlined that there is still plenty more work to be done to replace all the old gas pipes in the City, and the next phase will be concentrated on the Old Steine area.

5. Traffic Management, Ranks, Brighton Station, Amex

Concern was expressed at the blocking of Old Shoreham Road (Brighton) just by the bridge. This means drivers having to go around the houses to service customers going to the Hamilton Road area. There was a general consensus that the trade is basically ignored when all these closures are being initially considered, and the trade are only consulted when the decisions have already been made.

Following on from the above point, the trade, once again, expressed concern about the way the council seem to be picking away at all the important taxi ranks. Part of the problem is that the Highways department is staffed by different officials to the Licensing department. However that’s the council’s problem to solve, but until they are pushed hard enough by the hackney trade to do so, then it wont happen. Thus it wont happen !!!

Of course if the PH Ass changed it’s name to the Hackney Ass, then we would point out to the council exactly what the laws relating to taxi ranks are, not what the council think they are. Well actually we have, but as our point of concern has been successfully addressed by the council, we will take the council’s illegal policy of rank adopting/revoking/amending no further. We look forward to this issue of illegality being carried on by hackney reps. There’s enough of them now.

One interesting comment that came from one of the hackney reps was a new found law/rule which means that hackneys can’t pick up within 76 meters of a taxi rank (other than the rank itself of course). Maybe that law/rule was found beside the ‘moon is made out of cheese’ theory !!!

6. Sussex Police

Sussex Police confirmed they would fully support a taxi rank at, or very near, the Amex Stadium. The trade was advised that there would be another ‘March for England’ in April, and that could possibly cause road closures. The Police welcomed CCTV, and confirmed that it would reduce assaults, and help drivers and the police gain successful convictions against the scum that think the trade is an easy target (not the exact words of the police). Radio Cabs rep praised the police in the way they are dealing with some non payers, and confirmed that at least two non payers have gone to their offices to pay their taxi fares, in person, on the advice of the police. The point being that it’s better to have the driver paid than spending thousands on a court case.

7. Fares

As Dev was out of the country, and the fact that at present not everyone is convinced of the need to raise fares, this item was deferred to the next forum. For the record the PH Ass has reservations about increasing fares, but if the majority of drivers think they need one, then there would be no objections from us. Despite the fact that drivers have voted against an increase on two of the three circuits.

8. Vehicle Age Limits

The GMB have slightly amended their proposal, and have suggested a maximum hackney saloon age limit of ten years, with a maximum start limit of seven years. This was agreed by most of the forum, and a report will go to councillors requesting that change. The PH Ass asked why tens years and not just get rid of the age limit, but it was accepted by the hackney reps that the 10/7 year max proposal was the best all-round solution. It was also accepted by the forum that this proposal could have an effect on the fares formula (3%), but most present accepted this.

9. CRB’s

Other than all welcoming the revised CRB checking policy that will soon come out from government, nothing else was discussed, or for that matter needed discussing. The government have acted speedily to sort out a mess not of their making.

10. Medicals

Following on from the long discussion at the last forum, the council put forward a proposal that could lead to drivers (who have been suspended on medical grounds) getting back to work a lot quicker than at present. It was proposed that all the medicals are undertaken by the council’s own approved doctor. These medicals would cost approx £115.00.

Concern was expressed at the cost, and whether the doctor would be able to meet the demand of the 350-400 medicals undertaken every year. However these are still proposals and not set in stone. Maybe two or three doctors could be made available. The council’s doctor is due at the next forum, so maybe a little clarity, and progress, can come out of her attendance.

But we go back to the main concern of the trade, and that’s the delay to getting drivers back to work. And if all of us have to pay a few quid extra to ensure drivers get back driving weeks sooner than at present, then on a personal note bring it on.

Of course some drivers might need that extra £20 every five years.

11. Enforcement

Since the last forum the licensing officers have been out and about on many occasions, one particular shared (police/vosa/council) enforcement activity got an illegal minibus and stretch Limo towed away.

A trade rep requested information on a driver that failed a breath test, but as this matter hadn’t come before the courts yet the council declined to comment. Another rep complained that three WAV hackneys that should have remained WAVs were now saloons. The council explained that one was able to revert back to a saloon. One had been a saloon since the 1980s, and one had been relicensed by mistake. The one mistake will have to revert back when the vehicle is replaced. That would have been in seven years, but following the GMB’s proposal it will now be in ten years.

An interesting discussion then took place in relation to private hire operator’s licenses and their use. It appears that over the last few weeks the hackney carriage office has been swamped by enquires over PH ops licenses and the way some holders are using them.

The council gave their view that as long as PH ops license holders recorded their bookings before customers got into their vehicle, then no operating offence takes place. Same applies if a driver calls a booking into the office, providing the customer is out of the car prior to the booking being recorded or dispatched, then no operating offence takes place.

Now clearly this wasn’t greeted with universal glee, and no doubt another £30 a pop meeting could take place, but the law is the law. Of course ‘plying for hire’ is an illegal act, but that has nothing to do with operating procedure. For those that keep quoting a certain judgement, I suggest they read what the judge actually said.

12. Items for next Meeting

Most of the above (bar CRBs and Southern Gas), and a number of reps want to have a re-look at the Forum Constitution, in relation to membership, and the way the constitution is a little bit too rigid.

13. Dates of next meetings

4th April 2012

23rd May 2012

4th July 2012

Meeting in Committee Room 1

Hove Town Hall Wednesday 15th February 2012

Trade Only Meeting – 1.30pm to 2.30pm

Full Meeting – 2.30pm to 4.30pm

AGENDA

1. Apologies

2. Minutes from last meeting

Forum Minutes 14/12/11

3. Parking Enforcement

4. Southern Gas Networks

5. Traffic Management, Ranks, Brighton Station, Amex

6. Sussex Police

7. Fares

8. Vehicle Age Limits

9. CRB’s

10. Medicals

11. Enforcement

12. Items for next Meeting

13. Dates of next meetings

4th April 2012

23rd May 2012

4th July 2012

Should any B&H licensed driver wish to put forward any ideas or concerns, relating to the above agenda and previous forum minutes, could they please contact the PH Ass via the contact details in the top right corner of the site.

Following pressure from just about everyone the Government have recently announced the level of CRB check that all taxi and private hire drivers undertake will be at an enhanced level.

Taxi & PH CRB Press Release.

Government Written Statement

A welcomed move, but the question that people should be asking the Government was/is why did they mess around with it in the first place?

Station Rank

The council have published the outcome of their recent Brighton Station Gateway consultation, and it makes interesting reading.

Station Gateway consultation results

Of the 1163 people who took part in the survey, only one in five considered keeping the rank in it’s present location as their preference. Whilst around two thirds supported a taxi rank at the rear of the station (half of those supported a rank at the back shared with one at the front).

It will be interesting to see where the rank is finally located, but the Burger King will be well please only 7% want a rank in Queens Road.

Scrutiny Committee

Following the request for Scrutiny last year by the B&H Federation of Disabled People and Streamline Taxis (who later pulled out), a report to the Scrutiny Committee has been published and will be discussed next Monday.

Scutiny Report to Councillors

Loads of good reading in there, and maybe a few pointers as to what may, or may not, be happening in the future. And that’s all before the Law Commission do their business.

Interesting times.

What he hasn’t put into his final draft proposals are some of the crazy comments he got, from one or two of the brain dead currently driving green and whites, in particular the suggestion of a £5 flag. It is a shame that for every Dev we have far too many numpties. Most of them found on the Fanny Forum.

Dev’s draft proposals, and link showing his workings.

Tarrif Options for B&H fare review and workings.

Hi,
This is the email to the forum members regarding the fare review for 2012. Some have asked for £2.25 per running mile. But when you look at this compared to the proposed £2.20 per running mile with just a 20 pence flag fall increase you are actually losing out for the first 4 miles.

This will only work with 25 pence drops and quite frankly you will be needing lots of loose change for very little in return. Also because of the way the formula for Brighton and Hove is set we have hit a brick wall only because over the last two years we have increased the fares as much as could be allowed, and now the running mile is at £2.32, and the next rate for 20 pence drops would have to be running at £2.40 and we are not there yet.

Also the waiting time is at the maximum we can go for at £20 per hour where as the average wage is about £15 per hour, in the south east , the council would most probably throw it out if we went any higher. Don’t forget we have gone from £15 per hour to £20 per hour in the last two years.
So in conclusion I have recommended a 20 pence flag fall for tariff 1 and 2 only, waiting time stays the same, please ignore the tariff 3 on the pages that should have been the rate for Friday and Saturday night which will stay at £4.40.

I think you only have to look at all the cars that are ranked up especially on Fridays to see that this night which used to be busy as turned into another Wednesday night, with the late night buses and out of town cars taking work off the Brighton and Hove cars.

I think it would be prudent not to increase this rate this time, after all it is just 12 hours per week. I would ask now that the three companies ballot there members, and all the unions vote on this as well.

Once all have agreed to this then I can attend the forum meeting and inform the council we have reached agreement, set a meeting with them probably in April/ May time, and then its goes to committee in June 2012. If they say yes it gets advertised in July and with no objections we may it it in August 2012.

Any questions please email me and I will do what I can to help, but please bear in mind the state of the economy and people losing there jobs, people having a wage freeze.

I think for this year 2012 we should just try and keep the volume of jobs we have, and hopefully the following year if things improve and the running mile hits £2.40 we can go for that then.

Kind regards Dev

The above proposals might seem a little bit confusing, but it’s actually pretty straight forward. Dev is correctly saying that the fare formula would allow for a 25p drop (as opposed to our existing 20p drops), but it wouldn’t be financially beneficial for most jobs under 4 miles. Whereas a 20p increase in the flag would increase every fare.

Unsurprisingly some of the numpties on the Fanny Forum couldn’t work that out for themselves. Maybe the council should have sent them each a copy of ‘Fare Review for Dummies’ along with the new Blue Book.

If any hackney carriage driver wishes to discuss this review with Dev, then e-mail us at phassociation@hotmail.co.uk and we will pass on his details. For any PH driver I suggest they contact their operator and give them their views.

Let’s hope more than one of them will actually listen to you.

A taxi driver was attacked and robbed by two customers.

The two men put the driver in a headlock before taking his float and a set of keys in Davey Drive, Hollingdean, at about 7.30pm on Tuesday.

The Brighton and Hove Streamline taxi driver had just dropped a fare off in Sandhurst Avenue when the two men hailed him down near the junction with Warren Road.

As he turned into Southmount Road he was attacked before the pair ran off.

Detective Sergeant Chris Sherwell from Brighton and Hove CID said: “This was a very worrying encounter for the taxi driver who was going about his normal business. We are keen to trace the suspects and would urge people to please come forward who may know the identity of the suspects.”

The suspects are described as white, between 5ft9 and 6ft, in their 20s with dark short hair.

One was described as thin with a slim face whilst the other was stocky with a fuller face and was wearing a white long sleeved top.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sussex Police on 101 quoting serial 1377 of 20/12 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

This was the first Taxi Forum under the new constitution, which included a pre-meeting for trade members. As most of the pre-meeting discussions were repeated in the main forum meeting we don’t intend to repeat ourselves, which is a very rare event for a representative of the taxi/PH trade. So these notes will summarise both meetings, as the PH Association saw it.

This was also the first meeting that representatives of the Arab Taxi Forum attended. The PH Association welcome them to the party, and wish them well for the future.

Reps at the meeting: PH Ass, United Taxi Group, GMB, Unite, Sudanese Taxi Forum, Arab Taxi Forum, City Cabs, Radio Cabs, Streamline Taxis, Independent Hackney Drivers, NPTTU, Richard Hebbard from the Albion, Council Officers, Council Licensing Officers and  Licensing Committee Chair.

1. Apologies.

Apologies were received from Sussex Police rep, the King of the Chips, Geraldine from the Disabled Federation, and someone else.

2. Minutes from last meeting.

They were read out and everyone agreed they were an accurate account of what took place at the previous forum.

3. Thumbs Up.

Chap from the Brighton and Hove Learning Disability Partnership Board  www.brightpart.org  attended and gave a brief outline of the ‘Thumbs Up’ scheme. He passed around a handy guide which gives drivers ten helpful hints on how to best serve customers with learning difficulties. Guides can be obtained via their website.

4. Southern Gas Networks.

Rep from the above company didn’t attend, but forum members expressed concern about the huge problems this work is causing the trade, and that barriers weren’t being replaced quickly enough after the strong winds the other night, leading to large holes being open to traffic.

Should anyone be concerned enough to report dangerous roadworks they can  e-mail them at  NetworkCo-ordination@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call 01237 292929.

5. Traffic Management, Ranks, Brighton Station, Amex.

Representatives expressed concern about the way traders are blocking the taxi rank at the railway station.

The on-line consultation on the best place for the taxi rank at the station has closed, and the trade awaits the final proposals.  Unite rep said that if the rank at the front was moved to the back he would want a presence in Queens Road. This was objected to by City Cabs and the PH Ass.

Only time will tell what the outcome will be, but if the idiots in green and white keep blocking the front of the station area, then they best get use to the back of the station.

The Amex Stadium Manager attending and gave some very helpful advice on how to get the best out of the stadium, or more importantly make it work better for the trade. His main points can be best summarised below.

• In the Planning Application it was agreed to have a taxi rank by The Keep (new building being built by the tunnel entrance to Falmer School). That rank hasn’t yet been adopted, but it was on the Planning Application passed by B&H Council.
• All licensed vehicles are allowed to drop inside the top bus car-park at the Amex on match days.
• On non-match days all licensed vehicles are allowed to drop inside by the ground itself, and if a driver has a disabled customer they can drop them as near as they need. All they have to do is inform security.
• After a match all licensed vehicles can pick up inside approx 30 minutes after the game. Before that it isn’t safe to allow access, other than on Village Way.
• On non-match days all licensed vehicles are allowed to pick up inside, providing they pick up the right people and aren’t touting.
• All work gained via the stadium must be done on the meter, if you don’t like that, then don’t go onto the club’s land to pick up. Any company ripping customers off will be banned from the club’s land (all it needs now is for Southern Railways to adopt a similar policy at Brighton Station). This policy also applies to Lewes cabs.

6. Sussex Police.

Sussex Police rep didn’t attend. Radio Cabs rep going to contact an Inspector friend of his requesting that he attends on Sussex Police’s behalf.

7. Disability Awareness Course.

It was announced that City College don’t wish to run this course, however it appears Radio Cabs have found some funding for this part of the course, allowing drivers to do it for nothing. It also seems that Radio Cabs have found a way to ensure all the BTec requirements of the initial license process can be done F.O.C. Quite how long that lasts who knows, but existing drivers and new applicants had best fill their boots whilst the going is good.

As it can currently be done F.O.C. the council are awaiting legal advice to see if it can be made compulsory to all drivers, new and old.

8. Vehicle Age Limits.

9. Compulsory CCTV.

During the pre-meeting an agreement was worked out  that the trade should request a one year deferment of the policy of compulsory CCTV. Despite what some liars have said, all sections of the trade agreed to this. However the agreed reason for the delay should have been just the issue of waiting for the outcome of legal proceedings elsewhere. That would have made sense. However some members of the forum decided that the best way to request a deferment during the actual meeting was to say the cost of installing it was prohibitive. In short an out and out lie.

The members of the trade who are against compulsory CCTV are against it because they don’t want it full-stop, so why lie about your reasons? Councillors and council officials are not mugs, so don’t treat them as if they are.

When the trade’s request was made at the meeting council officials explained that the council’s policy was adopted over a year ago, as part of a Disability review, that all trade members and councillors signed up to. Councillors even added an extra year for drivers to meet that condition. Therefore officials are not in a position to do a new report requesting a further delay.

A number of comments came from the trade along the lines of no-one wants it, and it has been deemed illegal by a Southampton Judge. The council said they couldn’t act on the basis that someone might appeal this or that, and it was mentioned that the three young ladies raped by licensed B&H taxi drivers might  have preferred to have CCTV in cabs.

It is the PH Ass’s view that a deal could have been done (in fact we thought we  had one), but when sections of the trade can’t keep to an agreement made less than 30 minutes prior, then they must reap what they sow.

One point that is continually made, but never addressed, is why a small section (some say large section) of the trade go home when the council do night-time enforcement patrols. Especially if the Benefits Agencies are part of those checks. But of course we don’t have any dodgy drivers do we?

10. CRBs.

The trade were in full agreement that changing the level of CRB checks from Enhanced to Standard was, and still is, a bad move. However the council have been advised that they have no powers to request an Enhanced check for a licensed driver unless it can be shown they transport vulnerable children and adults on a regular basis, i.e. not the run of the mill type of work most of us do.

However there is some good news and that it appears the Government will be changing the law to ensure all licensed drivers undertake Enhanced CRBs. A copy of a brief debate in the Lords on this issue can be found here.

House of Lords CRB Check (taxi/PH) Debate

11. Medicals.

Concern was expressed by all sections of the trade over the time it takes for drivers with medical conditions, that need to be assessed by an external independent doctor, to get the all clear to carry on working. The doctor the council use has been a good friend of the trade, and fully understands how important these checks are to the trade, and the stress that goes with the wait.

The delays can be caused by various unnecessary and necessary glitches in the process, and by drivers not having their medicals as soon as they receive notification (sometimes three months in advance). However the average wait of 19 days for this process is too long, and we all need to work together to reduce that delay.

12. Fare Formula.

In light of the GMB deferring discussion on their Age Limit Policy, it seemed to make sense to defer the discussion on the Fare Formula, a forumla which will be effected by any change to the upper age limit on saloon hackneys.

13. Enforcement.

Licensing reported that they have checked 34 licensed B&H vehicles since the last forum, four were suspended and eight had other problems that needed to be addressed. One licensed driver has also been suspended. At the Amex everything is operating legally, although one Lewes cab was seen picking up at Village Way. However as he picked up in the Lewes bit, it was 100% legal.

Complaints came from the trade about numerous out-of-town licensed vehicles ranking up in B&H, some of them even on B&H taxi ranks. Did those complaining get the details and pass them on to the hackney carriage office? Did they **** !!!

So anyone seeing anything they believe to be illegal please make a note of the time, the date and the vehicle details, and then e-mail those details to B&H licensing. Or e-mail them to the PH Ass who will contact the local or no-local  council concerned and request they take action. Simply moaning and groaning will not do anything, action is what is required.

Should anyone see a non-local licensed vehicle parked on a B&H taxi rank, then they should e-mail ParkingEnforcement@brighton-hove.gov.uk or ring them on 0845 603 5469 and selecting option 3.

Enforcement Stop Press. Officers checked a number of vehicles over the weekend 17th/18th December. One Limo was seized, one PSV bus was seized, one hackney had no badges on vehicle, one hackney vehicle suspended, one PH vehicle suspended. It was also reported by a senior  member of the hackney trade that numerous vehicles weren’t working the station those particular nights.

A taxi driver turned detective to clear his name after a mum accused him of assaulting her two-year-old son.

Aamer Shahzad, 31, feared he could be sent to prison and lose his licence after being quizzed by police over the allegations that he slapped the youngster for jumping on his car seats.

The case against him was eventually dropped thanks to CCTV footage he obtained after contacting a shop owner in Normanton, near Wakefield.

The pictures revealed the toddler’s mother smacking her son across his legs shortly after Mr Shahzad had dropped them off.

The woman, in her 20s, later admitting making up the story against Mr Shahzad after panicking when she realised she had left red marks on his legs and feared she would get into trouble.

The mum, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted assault and perverting justice on July 25. She was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and made the subject of a supervision order for two years.

Passing sentence at Leeds Crown Court, recorder Simon Jackson said: “You set out over two pages the details of your allegation against this taxi driver. “That was an outrageous allegation to make against an identified individual which led to serious consequences.”

He added: “One has only to consider or speculate as to what might have been the consequences for this unfortunate taxi driver Mr Shahzad if he had not got the good sense and determination to pursue an inquiry at the local supermarket and obtain evidence which may never have been available but for his diligence, which revealed the assailant in this case was the defendant and not Mr Shahzad.

“Had that not been available, I am satisfied this defendant would have persisted in her complaint and the evidence may have been believed and this would have led to a serious charge against this wholly innocent man, with perhaps a miscarriage of justice following. It was very fortunate that was not the outcome.”

After the hearing, Mr Shahzad, 31, a driver for Normanton-based Local Cars, told the YEP he was off work for two days with stress and worry over the false claim.

He said: “I was shocked that she could say that about me. I was stressed out when the police twice called me in for interviews. I could have lost my job and my taxi driver’s licence. “She didn’t complain about anything during the journey, she just paid her fare and got out.”

He added: “When the truth came out I was relieved. I didn’t understand what she had against me. All I did was pick her up and drop her off. If I hadn’t got the CCTV footage my livelihood could have been ruined. “She can’t be a good person, doing what she did.”

Mr Shahzad’s boss, Wasim Ramzan, said: “I’ve never had any complaints about him, he’s a good worker. “I can’t understand why she did it, to blame a person she doesn’t even know. “She was just looking for an easy way out for herself.”

Jonathan Wilkinson, for the woman, said she lost her temper and hit the youngster after he bit her finger.

Meeting in Committee Room 1, Hove Town Hall Wednesday 14th December 2011

Trade Only Meeting – 1.30pm to 2.30pm

Full Meeting – 2.30pm to 4.30pm

AGENDA

1. Apologies

2. Minutes from last meeting

Forum minutes26th October 2011

3. Thumbs Up

4. Southern Gas Networks

5. Traffic Management, Ranks, Brighton Station, Amex

6. Sussex Police

7. Disability Awareness Course

8. Vehicle Age Limits

9. Compulsory CCTV

10. CRB’s

11. Medicals

12. Fare Formula

13. Enforcement

13. AOB (N.B. this no longer applies, as all issues discussed must have been tabled 17 days before the meeting).

14. Items for next Meeting

15. Date of next meetings

15th February 2012

4th April 2012

Should any B&H licensed driver wish to put forward any ideas or concerns, relating to the above agenda and/or minutes, could they please contact the PH Ass via the contact details in the top right corner of the site.

Police have released more information after a taxi driver was robbed at knifepoint.

Shortly before 2.30am yesterday the driver picked up four young men outside Buddies along Brighton’s seafront.

They asked to be taken to a road in Newhaven.

But before the car got there they told the driver to stop along the Newhaven one-way system, just past to the junction with Lewes Road.

There the taxi driver was punched in the face.

At knifepoint the men stole his £135 takings.

They ran off in the direction of Lewes Road, Newhaven.

All the men are described as white and in their early to mid-20s.

One was about 5ft 6 inches and of medium build, clean-shaven with short shaved hair blond hair. He wore a white tee-shirt. The second was about 5ft 5inches, pale with short blond tidy hair.

He was also of a medium build and did not have a jacket but may have also been wearing a tee-shirt.

The third man was of medium build and slightly taller than the first two, with short blond hair worn brushed down. He had a skinny face and again was quite pale in complexion.

There is no detailed description of the fourth man at this stage.

The taxi driver, who comes from Brighton, was badly shaken but did not require medical treatment.

Detective Constable John Steven said: “We would like to hear from anyone who saw this group getting into the cab outside Buddies, or who saw them running away from the cab in Newhaven town centre.”

Call Sussex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 1111.

Before the Licensing Committee on the 17th November 2011 will be a number of important taxi/PH items. If anyone wishes to discuss any of these items with the PH Ass please e-mail us, or contact Mark or Jeff via the usual channels.

Licensing Committee (Non Licensing Act 2003 Functions)
Thursday, 17th November, 2011 3.30pm

Agenda

15. Licence Fees 2012/13 – Report of the Head of Planning and Public Protection

Additional documents:

• Committee Report for Licence Fees 2012/13 enc. 1, item 15.
• Committee Report for Licence Fees 2012/13 enc. 2, item 15.
• Committee Report for Licence Fees 2012/13 enc. 3, item 15.

16. Additions to the Blue Handbook for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire, Drivers, Vehicles and Operators – Report of the Head of Planning and Public Protection

Additional documents:

• Committee Report for Additions to the Blue Handbook for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire, Drivers, Vehicles and Operators enc. 1, item 16.

17. Terms of reference and constitution for the Brighton & Hove Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Consultation Forum – Report of the Head of Planning and Public Protection

Additional documents:

• Committee Report for Terms of reference and constitution for the Brighton & Hove Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Consultation Forum enc. 1, item 17.

18. Hackney Carriage Unmet Demand Survey and Consultation on Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Provision – Report of the Head of Planning and Public Protection

Additional documents:

• Committee Report for Unmet Demand Survey enc. 1, item 18.

19. Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Trade:Ethnicity Monitoring – Report of the Head of Planning and Public Protection

Additional documents:

• Committee Report for Ethnic Monitoring Report enc. 1, item 19.

20. Equalities Action Plan Update – Report of the Head of Planning and Public Protection

Additional documents:

• Committee Report for Equalities Action Plan Update enc. 1, item 20.

21. Advertising on Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles – Report of the Head of Planning and Public Protection

Additional documents:

• Committee Report for Advertising on Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles enc. 1, item 21.
• Committee Report for Advertising on Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles enc. 2, item 21.